Z Bar Deli Restaurant

Maybe I’m biased because I’m an out of towner. Maybe I’m wrong because I’m an amateur reviewer. Maybe I’m out of my mind because, well, it’s a deli, in a sense. Or, maybe I’m totally right: this place is awesome.
I love drunk undergrads as much as anyone: I used to be one. But, sometimes, you need a break. This is your break. And, your break, it so happens, has a tremendous beer selection and high quality food, all available at a fair price. So, what’s the drawback?
Literally nothing. This place is amazing. The bartenders are excellent, and you’ll be glad you stopped by. Do it.

Came here with family and there was an hour wait. We decided to sit at the bar while waiting to be seated. Had a couple good drinks with good company and the hour passed quickly. Service at the bar was great. The bartenders engaged in conversation and were friendly.
Got to our seats to have dinner. I ordered the enchiladas… can’t go wrong with Mexican food right? Wrong. The enchiladas were the worst I’ve had, no flavor at all. The beans and rice that came with it were so spicy I could hardly finish it, the spice overtook any other flavor that it all tasted the same… I’m never picky and I never let food go to waste. My sister ordered a wrap, but what she got was more like a burrito. Very disappointing. Another couple members of my family got the chicken pot pie. Appeared very bland and tasted bland as well.
Because I still had fun here I might come back if I visit pennstate in the future. But my family is what made the experience great, not the restaurant. It’s an okay experience otherwise. 3 stars mainly because of the food. The food was the biggest disappointment, especially after waiting for so long. The service was great. The drinks were great.

Have eaten a couple times he4e. Food is competent, nothing outstanding, but delivered hot and we’ll put together.
My gripe is with the most recent visit. My boyfriend and I came here Friday evening. As I enjoy a beer or two with dinner, I ordered from the tap list. Beer 1.0 (on the menu) is an amber, which I am quite familiar with. Beer 1.1 (brought to the table) is an IPA of some kind. I politely pointed this out to the wait staff, who said she notified the bar tender and manager. Their verdict was it tasted ok and the hood up to the tap was correct. The beer didn’t taste «off», but it’s not the beer described.
Beer 2.0 is described as a fruity Christmas beer, which I’m unfamiliar with. Beet 2.1 is pretty tasty, thought maybe not a classic Christmas. More, please! Beer 2.2 is something entirely different. After careful consultation with the interwebz, beer 2.2 probably is the beer described. What was 2.1? Who knows! Not the deli people, thats for sure.
I’m not hard to please. Two incorrect beers in one night is unprecedented, however. What cheeses me is the fact that the manager argued the fact with me. I’ve been drinking beer since literally before the waiter was on this earth. I don’t care that you think the taps are plumbed correctly. Pull a sip. That’s an IPA. Tell me you can distinguish a malty amber from an IPA, if you’re in charge of a beer bar.
Apparently not.
We were charged for beer 2.1 and 2.2, which is ok, both were drunk. But we were also charged for beer 1.1, which was not drunk other than to try to ID it based off what was on the menu. I could have raised a rukus over the bill, but I’m not going to pitch a fit over less than $ 7. I’m a bit more mature than that.
Will I ever go back? HECK NO. So congrats, Deli/​Z-​bar, I shall take my well padded wallet somewhere else in the future, where management doesn’t think everyone is trying to cage a free drink. And I’ll advise anyone else out there to do the same.

Some things are hit or miss, but Id say mainly the food is good.
They also have a tons of draft beers. This along with zenos are my favorite bars so far.
Its generally quiet here, so its a good place to jus talk and catchup over some good microbrews. On weekdays happy hour is from 10 to 12 so a beer is like 3 – 4 bux, which is a great deal.
Food–
Pork Bacon Burger ($ 13): This burger is so damn good. The patty is so tender and the bacon crispy. I have absolutely 0 complaints. The fries also taste exactly like in n out fries cept slightly better/​more fresh.
Scallops wrapped in Bacon ($ 12): Two scallops wrapped in bacon. Cant really mess it up but I felt it came out slightly soggy. The bacon wasnt as crispy as I would have liked and the portions are mad small. I wouldnt get again. I knew I would get dinged on the portion but was hopin for at least 3 scallops.
Tuna Ciabatta ($ 13): Kinda overcooked. I thought itd be more like a seared ahi tuna sandwich but it was more of a cooked fish kinda sandwich. Not bad but not great. Wouldnt get again.
Monte Cristo ($ 10): Mmm this was jus ok for me. You can get it jus for the novelty if u never had it before. Its a sandwich using french toast bread. The french toast bread has powdered sugar and comes with syrup so u get a mixture of salty and sweet.
Steak Foccacia ($ 14): Delicious. I would get again. The bread was really good as well as the steak.
Overall, this is my spot when I jus wanna chill out n grab a beer. Service aint the greatest so sit at the bar.

Great beer bars with drafts galore plus they offer 5 flight sized samples for)$ 12.00 which is a steal and the best way to try many of their great brews. My bartender was knowledgable and friendly. I didn’t eat any food so my rating is strictly for the bar

Our food here was really not that good, and we’re really not picky eaters.
We got the Spinach Dip Appetizer, which came in a bread bowl. There was just a handful of small pieces of bread to dip in, then you had to start cutting it apart, and it was too much dip/​bread ratio, and the bread tasted sour, didn’t say it was sour dough. I have gotten bread bowl dips at other restaurants and they normally give you baguettes to dip in first to get ya going. There was a LOT of spinach in the dip, more than in any spinach dip I’ve ever had.
My husband got the black and blue burger. He asked for Medium Well, and it was very pink and «mushy» as he put it, inside. Nothing special about it he said, and didn’t finish it because it was under cooked.
I got the Chicken Pot Pie. There was really no flavor, and there was a huge abundance of carrots in it. So imagine mushed chicken with carrots inside a bland pie crust, I thought I was eating baby food for a second.
I make a really easy and awesome chicken pot pie, ya’ll should try it. 1 can of chicken soup, 1 can of mushroom, chicken of course, Bag of frozen veggies, chicken bouillon and some other seasonings for flavor, and Pillsbury pie crust. it’s so easy and i hate to say it but it puts yours to shame.

Amazing beer selection. However they are always slow and somehow understaffed. We waited for 45 minutes for some sandwiches while people around us got served. Eventually we got them (a couple Rubens) and they weren’t even good.
On the plus side, the restaurant offered to pay for our lunch because it took so long to get it to us. I think they actually lost our order ticket and didn’t realize it. So they were nice about what happened, but they really need to get their act together in the kitchen.

Food is okay, way too much bread in their sandwiches. Good bloody Mary’s and mimosas. Service is pretty bad and super slow making their food. Way too expensive considering the overall service experience. Decent food if you don’t need your food anytime soon. The outside seating is the only reason I ever come back.

We usually come here for the beer, one of the better places to have a beer in state college. Drinking a stone enjoy by tonight.
I have eaten here before, the food isn’t great, it’s not terrible either. The deli is just a place I would pass on when it comes to food. Chipotle across the street is probably a better bet, then beers at deli.

I walked by this place every day, staring at the bacon menu. I had to try the pork burger.
Weeks later, or tonight, I finally had it. It was big, meaty/​fatty but it didn’t taste good. It certainly didn’t taste bad but it’s definitely marketed to be tastier than it really is.
It’s a blend of sausage and ground pork. I feel like they offset each other’s flavor and the mixture didn’t work well.
Had a few bites of the Swiss Burger and that was mediocre as well. Fries were fries.
Service was great though.

Out of all the Dante’s Inc bars in this block, Z Bar is my favorite. Its quiet and there are a ton of beers on draft. It is definitely a nice place to go to if your trying to get away from a loud scene. They always have decent daily drink specials. The food is a bit average to pricey depending on what you get but I have never had a bad meal yet.
My only con is thathe happy hour time changed on the weekends from 10PM-​12AM to 8PM to 10PM

Hard to give a review as I was in the Night before the Penn State/​Michigan Game/​Homecoming. Packed to the gills — we stopped for a drink waiting for a cab.

Really enjoyed lunch here! Pastrami sandwich was to die for! Great atmosphere! I would definitely go again!

The deli has a huge menu! The food is typically good but service is barely passable. I would suggest not going at the begining of any semester while the staff is getting retrained. Go a few weeks into the season when the staff is on their game. Lots of seating and some is outdoors when the weather is nice. They have a huge bar with a good selection of pretty much everything.

AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME beer bar! So nice to see a bar like this in what is a sea of college bars. You’re not going to find Natural Light tall boys and Pabst Blue Ribbon pounders on special here. Great beer and a welcoming atmosphere!
They had 30 or so beers on tap. Hit happy hour by accident and enjoyed two fantastic brews. The adage, «You get what you pay for», holds true and prices are comparatively higher than other bars so be forewarned. The prices are not unfair or inflated, they’re simply what you’d expect to pay for good beer anywhere else. Bartenders were very knowledgeable about their beer and were able to make suggestions to several other customers who weren’t beer connoisseurs. Lighting and décor were spot on for what the Z Bar is marketed as. I will definitely make this my first stop next time I visit PSU.

I find myself coming to Z-​bar (Deli) more and more, as time goes on. It’s great place to start a night on the town, because of their conveniently timed happy hour and a menu that is varied and pretty tasty.
In case you aren’t aware, 9 – 11 PM is Happy Hour at the Z-​bar. Every day, including weekends, but excluding events. The special is half-​price liquor drinks and $ 2 off draft beer. For those looking to get drunk, they have drinks like the Z-​bar Zen that will get the job done. For beer snobs, their draft list is pretty impressive, and seems to have something for everyone. For cocktails snobs (like myself), you can get something good as long as you know what you want, though you may find the selection wanting. For scotch drinkers, let me point out that «Half-​Price Liquor» includes pours of single malt whiskey and Johnnie Walker Blue (just hope that you get a bartender willing to give you a decent pour, since not all of them do).
As far as food, the Deli has one of the better menus in town. While they don’t have any real standout entrees, the sheer variety of menus means they’ll have something for everyone. I was impressed that they had a leg of lamb sandwich, and their Reuben isn’t bad for State College. They also have specials on regular occasion, so it’s worth checking in from time to time to see what’s new.
The décor is nicely thought out. It has a sort of quiet sophistication, with just a touch of «Man Cave» brought in by the TVs over the bar and other decorations. You have your choice of the front room (the bar), or the back room. The full menu is available in both locations, so the choice lies mainly if whether you want a quiet dining experience or something a little more casual. Personally, I tend to sit in the front room when I’m meeting friends to go out.
Overall, I’d give Z-​bar a fair endorsement: They have a little something for everyone.

I must say now that I’ve been to Z Bar a couple of times, I’m a huge fan. Their draft list is impressive, it’s usually a quiet spot compared to the rest of the night life but still lively, and the food is delicious. The sweet potato fries are amazing, especially if you pair them with the creamy garlic sauce. I also love the fact that they have dishes like «The Ultimate Jewish Penicillin» and the «Deli Meshugna». I haven’t had their latkes yet but definitely want to give them a try some time soon.
I went to this bar on two very different occasion. One was a group event where the comfy booths in the back created a nice atmosphere. The second time I went was on a game day. This place is great on a game day, big TV’s a friendly crowd (depending on how the team is doing), and relatively quick service.

Ate here last weekend with 3 of my friend for one of their graduation.
We ordered the Fried Calamari for appetizer and was kind of surprised how small the portion was.
My one friend and I shared the Sizzling Chicken Fajitas and was not too happy with it. The plate was too sizzley and burnt more of the veggies/​chicken that was touching the plate.
I didn’t get comments on the other two’s food.
Don’t know if I would come back. Not that I would have to unless someone else is graduating from Penn State!
Oh and the couple next to us was making out and I think did not get anything to eat, only drinks.

Ask any Penn Stater for a «chill spot» on a typically rowdy night and they’ll lead you to Z-​Bar. Listen to them. There’s an absurdly large list of taps and bottles, and thus something for everyone from the craft-​beer newbie to the seasoned beer geek. The atmosphere is rather unique for a college as well, plenty of outdoor and indoor seating as well as a decidedly relaxed aura about the place. Conversations among strangers are typical and easygoing, and there’s none of the widescale debauchery and belligerence typically associated with other popular watering holes.
As for food at the Deli, the meals contain fresh ingredients. I always order the crab dip, which has big chunks of crab meat, fresh leaves of sauteed spinach, and hearty artichoke hearts. It’s not leaden like at most places and is a good appetizer. Most of the sandwiches are rather good, whoever made the menu knew how to pair veggies, meats, and breads. The Italian Market Foccacia, complete with pesto aioli, cappicola, and a fried egg for good measure, is one of my favorite sandwiches anywhere. Burgers are large, properly cooked, and satisfying. Fries are decent, though can be a bit soggy.
Every time I come to State College I make it a point to grab food and drink at Z-​Bar/​Deli, and you should too.

Huge! selection of drafts (around 40 on a rotating basis) and between 9 and 11 it’s $ 2 of drafts. This means I can get some delicious Ommegang, like the Hennepin, for around $ 3. It’s not like going to Otto’s where there’s a solid 80% chance they won’t have the beer you want… so when I want a good draft, I head to the Z-​Bar.
** Z-​Bar is the bar section of the Deli, as Alex said. Reviews for the restaurant/​food should probably go under the Deli’s page **