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| - Food: 2 stars. Beer: 4 stars. Service: 3.5 stars.
As an East-Ender I must admit I rarely venture to the North or South Side. And while I've had many a Penn Brew, I've never made it to their restaurant until last night. In one word: underwhelmed.
While the building, outdoor seating, and general ambiance were exactly what we were looking for, the food was a huge disappointment. We were actually pretty excited looking at the menu before we left, but little did we know...
In ordering the Vegetarian Smoked Bratwurst our server all but refused to bring it for me. He declared it "nasty" and that 50-60% of those ordered end up going back to the kitchen and commenced to try to sell me a garden burger or veggie panini. I finally gave in and ordered the Pierogi Platter hoping to get something else vegetarian to share with my partner. I wish I would have ordered the bratwurst. At first, I was enthused by the serving size but little did I know... what laid before me were 6 dry fish pierogies with a dismissive pile of cold caramelized onions. I should have sent it back at first bite, but second guessed my own reading of the menu. When the second pierogi was potato, I decided just to eat them only to find the last 4 to also to be the dry cold fish stuffing. I didn't eat the last two, we were on a tight schedule and I'm generally too polite to send a mistake like this back. My partner had the kasespaetzle and while decent, didn't seem true to the spaetzle I've had many times in southern germany.
That said, the beer was quite lovely. I had the Weizen and my partner the summer berry weizen. Both well carbonated, flavorful and quite refreshing.
General menu overview: 5-6 apps from $5-8. A few salads, 6-8 entrees from $9-20 a few sandwiches and a few desserts.
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