Blind Hartman’s Tavern

Very poor table service. Rotten tomato on wife’s salad. Warmed over french fries. Wife’s baked potato cool in the middle. No response to my email comments. Pretty good prime rib.

Ok so we arrived excited to watch the first official NFL games at Blind Hartman’s. Finally no smoking so we can relax and enjoy the games with friends who we have met with there many times over beer and food. Upon ordering drinks and requesting water we were informed that the policy on Sunday’s was that no fountain water was available and we would have to pay for bottled water. When we explored further we were told that it was the owners decision since they were already paying so much for the NFL ticket that water would need to be a paid item. We already were all drinking beer and looking forward to eating something while watching the games and could not believe what we just heard. Needless to say, we saw little to support such a limited business decision. There were more staff already than paying customers… so we chose to pay out for our beers and leave. We headed to Shirley’s that always has wonderful service, great beer, delicious food… And will give us a glass of water with our beer and food!!! So, moral to the story… Sunday football is best experienced with friends, beer and food … But not at Blind Hartman’s. We will not be back on a Sunday.

Went with family to their Mother’s Day buffet, outrageously advertised as the County’s best. The breakfast options consisted of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and undercooked carrots. The employee making waffles churned out semi-​cooked batter that collapsed as he spooned the rest onto my plate.
Will not be returning nor would I recommend this substandard restaurant to anyone.

Horrible service, horrible food. And they’ve taken an old building and turned it into something horrible. I can’t even say it’s modern because it looks like bad 70s decorating. It’s really a shame. The bar is better, but all those flat screen TVs?
Caesar salad — bottled dressing and too much on it. A tiny, tiny bit of salmon.
Prime rib sandwich — who are they kidding? Overcooked roast beef sandwich was more like it, thinly sliced and tasted like deli meat.
The waitress kept disappearing until I complained to the bartender about the worst service ever.
Stay away — there are so many better places to go. Too bad «not good for anyone» isn’t a choice below, and «gross» isn’t an ambience choice.
As you can tell, I can’t say enough bad things about this place.

I went there expecting to have a wonderful night with friends. Sadly, I didn’t last 5 minutes. I never heard the band. I never tried the drinks. I didn’t get to eat. Why? Upon opening the entrance door, a mushroom cloud of toxic smoke erupted in my face. Confused, I went in a few more steps and was appalled to realize smoking is permitted. I felt as though I’d stepped back in time at least 20 years. I didn’t realize indoor smoking in public places is legal! IS IT? Apparently, the decision to operate this bar as an ashtray catering to all the lung cancer volunteers in the county is working. The place was packed! I just wonder how this business model can be supported once all the patrons are diagnosed with terminal disease. Seems it will better support the oncology wings of the local hospitals. I can picture the same place in 5 – 10 years, everybody sitting around with their oxygen tanks. What a shame.

They allow smoking in this restaurant/​bar. It was like a smoke filled room that was unbearable. Very disgusting.
The food looked greasy and horrible unhealthy so I didn’t eat.
The band was SO loud that I couldn’t hear anything and had to leave.
The crowd was a rough 30 – 50 berks used and abused left overs. Seriously. I grew up just down the street so I can say this. If this is the only option for berks folks on this side of town, then I’m certainly glad I don’t live here anymore.

I’ve been there three times, and I can’t wait to go back! The first time, I was there to see my friend’s band play, and the bar was loud, but not any louder than you’d expect at a bar restaurant, and the food was really good.
In December, my husband and I went back for a date night, and we had the best food! They had these crab fries to die for! We had to sit in the bar area, since the dining area was full. The staff was wonderful, and our waitress helped us decide on what beer to try.
Since we loved it so much, we went back just this past weekend. Although we couldn’t get a babysitter, so we had to bring the kids with us. I’d emailed in advance because I noticed that they had changed the menu and the loaded fries (Chesapeake and Country fries that my hubby and I LOVED) were not on the menu. They emailed immediately and said they would have no problem with serving us our special request. We made a reservation for early evening — with the kids, I didn’t want to have to worry about the dining room being full. The staff was amazing! The food was delish — really, with a picky pre-​schooler and a picky teen, everyone was happy and full! My hubby again asked for a recommendation on a beer, and really enjoyed the beer that was recommended! I cannot wait to go again, hopefully without the children.

Disrespectful owner and they have NO CONTRACTS available for events. How they expect to do business like that is beyond me! And obviously their word means nothing because what we were told one time got changed later. We had to cancel our event and find a new location 4 days before the event. They just ignored any of our attempts to resolve issues. Horrible way to do business, will not ever go there again and will make sure everyone I know doesn’t go there either.

I was not impressed. The music was entirely too loud for the venue. The food was mediocore at best. I wouldn’t bring the family since they allow smoking in the facility. We will definitely NOT be returning.

With an extensive micro brew list (100) the beer selection is excellent. As for the food… it’s unimpressive. I had a burger med rare last night that came out well. Asked the waitress for no tomatoes and yup there were tomatoes. The atmosphere is good but the music is way too loud for the size bar.

Upon further review, I’m bumping up my rating to four stars. The food here is actually pretty good. BHT is becoming my go-​to place to take my local clients for lunch.

Have been there a few times. Have never left disappointed. Standard menu, but the specials are worth checking out. The only real negative is the dinning room can be awfully loud.

A really cool thing this place does is put an old Reading Eagle article on the front of the menu, explaining the story behind the curious name. It’s a good story.
The building has been modernized to the point where none of the old hotel charm is showing on the outside, but it looks large and comfortable, and there are parking lots in front and back, no doubt to manage the crowds when live music is there. Bf thought it had sort of a biker look to it, but I found it very family-​ish. (I would never be put off by the presence of bikers because I remember what good tippers and how polite they are as restaurant patrons.)
I heard from a coworker that the food here is good and so wanted to be able to patronize this close-​to-​home spot, but much to my distress, smoking is allowed in the enclosed bar. We tried to duck our heads in to to get a look at it, but even the vestibule was very strong with smoke smell.
Something about my contacts and hair seem to soak in smoke smell/​dust almost permanently. Even the stink of patchouli incense or ganja would be more desirable.
I am not sure how this is legal, because BH’s seems to do a good food business — isn’t it supposed to be a ratio of food to alcohol that determines whether you can allow smoking? Is there really that much of a smoking demand? There must be, but I don’t have to accept the limited Berks restaurant scene AND also smell like smoke for days. Please, I can’t take both! :-)
So we went around to the back to look at the spacious dining rooms and check out the menu.
The man at the door was friendly, but as I expected, the menu was heavy on the meat and cheese with nothing for us (side salad with vinegar does not count), but that is standard fare for this county. Nonetheless, I am always hoping for a cool bar spot where I can have a nice beer and hide out on a hot summer day.
There are a few things for vegetarians, I noted, like a Sauteed Veggie Pasta and Ravioli. Other things else I don’t see too often are fried onion petals, stuffed tomatoes, and corn nuggets. They also have pierogies and pita pizzas.

I have yet to eat here, so this is a review of the bar. I visit a fair amount because my friends go here and you can smoke inside any night of the week. They also do $ 1.50 Rolling Rock drafts everyday. It’s clean, service is good, and they do… I think it’s $ 4 breakfast buffet on weekends starting at 1 am. My only complaints are that the live talent or music is often entirely too loud to hold a conversation. I don’t really see live music as a value-​added experience. Also, the beer list doesn’t have those with discerning taste in mind, and they serve every beer in a frosted mug causing it to be watered down. For all practical purposes, I like Blind Hartman’s.

I agree with the last review — the band was kind of loud. I heard they recently spent upwards of $ 2M to renovate this place and it was attractive — lots of exposed beams and brick and a homey atmosphere. Very bright & well-​lit. I did not try the food, just drinks, which seemed a bit more expensive than other bars — but the service is friendly and fast. Lots of flat screen tv’s covering the walls from every angle. Purse hooks under the bar are a great touch. I felt a little out of place considering most people were at least 10 – 20 years older than me (and I’m almost 30!)
They do have a restaurant upstairs also. The parking lot and location are a bit odd (around a blind corner, they would be pretty easy to miss). I think I’d venture a trip back.