The more craft breweries we visit, the more we begin to realize one thing; breweries are becoming a location for an overall dining experience. While some may think of a brewery as a dim lit area filled with locals, there are some breweries in Pennsylvania that are bucking that stereotype. Don’t get us wrong, we still love those kind of watering holes, but we know some people are looking for a bit more.

These 5 Breweries in Pennsylvania are changing the way people view the craft beer dining experience. (We left Iron Hill off the list because their menu is no secret)

Mad Chef Craft Brewing | East Petersburg, PA

When one of the owners and head brewers is a CIA graduate, it’s hard to not make the list. And that’s Culinary Institute of America (although maybe he’s a spy….. who knows??).

Co-Owned by Greg Kendig & Francisco Ramirez (the mad chef and CIA grad himself), located on Miller Rd in East Petersburg, PA this brewery has only been opened a short time, but is making a big splash in their community.

We’ve visited Mad Chef in the past and we can tell you from first hand experience, this is one of the more impressive menus you will find in a brewery. With over 30 items on the menu, including a kids and dessert section, this is the perfect location for a night out with family or friends. Gone are the two for Tuesdays and they have been replaced with a locally sourced, locally owned dining experience. Pair that with 16 beers on tap and you really have something for everyone!

Check out the menu with all their amazing offerings. Plan on stopping in? Check out our brewery review to get yourself ready.

Take a look at some of their offerings for yourself:

Cinderlands | Pittsburgh, PA

One of Pittsburgh’s newest breweries, Cinderlands is offering patrons an experience they are sure to not forget. Located on Butler Street in Pittsburgh Cinderlands has only been open since December 2nd, 2017 but that hasn’t stopped their brewery from making their mark on the Pittsburgh beer landscape!

You won’t find panini presses or microwaves here. Instead their food is made fresh, by hand and right in front of your eyes. While it is easy for a brewery to get lost in the beer, Cinderlands dedicates their offerings to so much more. Their creative menu includes Spent Grain Chicharrones, Scotch Eggs, Octopus, a Fried Chicken Sandwich and so much more!

While the food at Cinderlands is sure to blow you away, you cannot forget about the beer. With an always rotating tap it’s hard not to find something to enjoy. Instead of being IPA heavy, they fill their taps with an eclectic offering of Stouts, Berliner Weisse’s, Witbier, Kölsch’s and much more!

Check out the menu for yourself. And before you stop in, read our brewery view to get ready for the fun.

See their offerings first hand:

Conshohocken Brewing | Various Locations

As Conshohocken Brewing says, they were founded on the same American industrial spirit as the borough for which their brewery is named. Conshohocken, PA was an industrial national hub in the late 1800s – a time of bowler hats, small local breweries and velocipede bicycles.

With four locations it is becoming more and more common to see the Conshohocken Brewing brand. Whether it is at their original location in Conshohoken, the Brew Pub in Bridgeport, Rec Room in Phoenixville or Town Tap in Havertown, it’s hard to miss them!

And what cannot be missed at any of their locations is the food! Not only does each spot offer a menu, but they offer food unique to that specific location. That’s right, no two Conshohocken food menus are the same. Each location boasts a menu of entrees, salads, soups, starters and more!

Go to their main website, and then click on the location you plan on visiting to see the menu ahead of time.

See the food for yourself:

Ever Grain Brewing | Camp Hill, PA

Located on Carlisle Pike in Camp Hill, PA Ever Grain Brewing prides themselves on using only the freshest, highest-quality ingredients, with a local twist. As they say, their goal is to provide their customers taste buds with a new experience every time you visit their brewery. Not just through one of their 16 beers on tap, but through the food as well!

The food at Ever Grain is made with as many locally sourced ingredients as possible and as they say, is never overly processed.  The beer is not the only hand crafted items on the menu. Along with keeping the ingredients local, they also make their own stocks and sauces.  Better yet? Their bacon cures for three weeks before it goes into their smoker!

They even work with the local farmers to work out a plan on what they should be growing to meet customer demands at Ever Grain. It is hard to get more local than that. The menu boasts snacks, starters, handhelds, entrees, vegetarian options, dessert and much more!

With so much going on it can be overwhelming, so look at the menu for yourself.

See some of their offerings first hand:

Original XIII Ciderworks | Philadelphia, PA

A cidery making a craft beer list? Before you message us your opinion we dare you to try their food first and we’ll ask if you feel the same way. But don’t worry. Just because they are Philly’s first ever cidery, doesn’t mean they don’t have some amazing craft beer selections. During any visit to Original XIII you are bound to find a delicious local craft beer from some of Philly’s favorites.

We experienced the food first hand at Original XIII and all we can say is this list isn’t complete without them. While their chef isn’t classically trained, after eating the food at Origianl XIII, you wouldn’t believe it. The food here is prepared with such attention to detail that it will leave you coming back for more.

With a menu offering hand crafted entrees, starters and desserts it is hard to not make this your next stop when in Philadelphia. They also offer vegetarian options and a full brunch menu.

See the full menu and see why a cidery made the list. And read our brewery review before you plan your next visit!

Check out the delicious hand crafted offerings for yourself:

.

We know there are many more offering food selections. So we want to hear from you as well. Who is your favorite?