Rivertowne Pourhouse

Brewery, Bar, Eatery, Beer-to-go

312 Center Road
Monroeville, Pennsylvania, 15146
United States

// CLOSED //
BEER STATS
Average:
3.85
Beers:
116
Ratings:
685
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.13
Reviews:
47
Ratings:
65
pDev:
15.01%
View: Beers | Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by woodychandler:
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Reviewed by woodychandler from Pennsylvania

4.75/5  rDev +15%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5
Tucked back on the OLD William Penn Highway (an important distinction), it is the former Parkway Tavern, which was a simple local place. Their policy was to be smoke-free until 2200, but I believe that they are now completely smoke-free. Parking is mainly across the busy road, so be cautious.

Entering, a long entryway placed me in front of the huge octagonal, laminated blonde wood bar with an equally big octagonal blonde wood structure in the overhead for Mug Club mugs. The center of the bar area was high tables and chairs with a working fireplace off to the far left. The 5, 7, 10, and 15 bbl. FVs were in the dead center with the brewhouse and restaurant area beyond that, down a short flight of steps. Off to the right, downstairs, was a private party facility. Great camaraderie among ownership and staff. Andrew Maxwell gives major props to Sean McIntyre and Matt Allyn. A sweet set-up and I must get Lew to visit.

Since the time of my initial visit, I have been back many times. My Navy buddy, Scotty, lives in nearby Plum and he and his son and I often come here for pizza when I am in the area.

Beer: I love co-owner Maxwell's philosophy of brewing everything he can think of and if you don't see what you enjoyed on your previous visit, let him know and he will make more. My fave: Spongebob Squarepants Pineapple Ale with the Hawaiian Pizza. Zounds!
Nov 24, 2009
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.69 by heddar33 from Pennsylvania

May 23, 2017
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Reviewed by Sludgeman from District of Columbia

3.96/5  rDev -4.1%
vibe: 3.25 | quality: 4 | service: 3.75 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3.75
Visited on a Sunday just after the Steelers game had ended. The place was quiet empty. Bottom line - this place may have some warts, but the beer is good and it is well worth the visit. If you are one of the people looking for a deep brew pub experience, you may be disappointed, otherwise you may be pleasantly surprised.

Vibe - A classic Pennsylvania sports bar that happens to make good beer. 3.25

Quality - You're at the source. No worries here. 4

Service - Friendly and quick, but our waitress had very little knowledge of the beer she was serving or even how growlers pours worked. 3.75

Selection - I was surprise at the almost 20 different beers they had on tap. Highly hopped, ambers, sour stouts, DIPA, hoppy pilsner, etc. Wish I could have tried more.

Food - Seems to be hit or miss. I had the cheese steak, which was not bad, but a low on meat. They say that seafood is their specialty. I can't vouch for that. 3.75
Nov 21, 2016
 
Rated: 3.45 by grover37 from District of Columbia

May 22, 2016
 
Rated: 3.71 by ArtAttackEd from Pennsylvania

Mar 02, 2016
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Reviewed by gcasher from Pennsylvania

4.2/5  rDev +1.7%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.75 | selection: 4.25 | food: 4
Spacious,clean, big, lots of draft beer (all Rivertowne) and lots of their beer canned. The menu is large (typical tavern food). The place is warm and comfortable.
Aug 15, 2015
 
Rated: 4.03 by SteveLimoncello from Pennsylvania

Jul 31, 2015
 
Rated: 3.83 by JArt from Pennsylvania

Jul 23, 2015
 
Rated: 3.83 by slasich from Pennsylvania

Feb 18, 2015
 
Rated: 3.4 by Brian_Greensburg from Pennsylvania

Dec 30, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by StevensBrewing from Pennsylvania

Oct 14, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by bigdeuce from Pennsylvania

Oct 11, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by greg4579 from Pennsylvania

Sep 12, 2014
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Rated by BigRizz62 from Maryland

4.25/5  rDev +2.9%
Extensive list of beers on tap and available for take out. Knowledgeable and friendly staff. Nice selection on menu
Aug 19, 2014
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Reviewed by GameOfBeers from Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +9%
Such a great place to stop by and have a couple pints. Servers are very knowledgable about their beers and pairings. The service was great, even with having a seven person party at dinner and the food was fantastic as well as very reasonably priced. All around great place to stop at and try the new brews they have on tap!
Aug 19, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by BrandonOakes from Pennsylvania

Aug 19, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by risteardj from Pennsylvania

Jun 23, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by kayrex from Pennsylvania

Jun 22, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by mcewesr from Pennsylvania

May 21, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by Saxboy10 from Pennsylvania

Feb 25, 2014
 
Rated: 5 by Mounty4Life from Pennsylvania

Jan 05, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by ejimhof from Pennsylvania

Oct 09, 2013
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Reviewed by ScottyDuzntNo from Pennsylvania

4.73/5  rDev +14.5%
vibe: 4.75 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 5
Amazing Beer and Amazing Food...What else even needs to be said. You have to go to the Pourhouse. Always between 14-18 different Microbrewed beers made right there in the restaurant. If given a chance go sometime in the fall and get the Pumpkin Spice Beer, it's amazing. I'm a regular and the food and beer is what keeps me going back.
Jun 10, 2013
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Reviewed by WoodBrew from Ohio

4.03/5  rDev -2.4%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4
Arrived at Rivertowne and thought it was closed...no activitiy or signage screaming open and come drink. The quality of the food and beer was very good. The server was fine didnt really have much interest in shooting the breeze and did not have confident selection in food or beer. There is plenty of beer styles to choose from...you cant find somthing you got issues. I only had the pretzel and it was GREAT! I didnt think it was expensive. 14 tasters and a pretzel for $18 + tip. Overall it was a not bad and would recommend it.
Aug 02, 2012
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Reviewed by lftwng4 from Ohio

4.58/5  rDev +10.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5
We have been to Rivertowne Pourhouse several times. The atmosphere is very much like a typical sports bar. It does not particularly feel like a microbrewery, and it is very laid back. It is safe to say that families come out here. The food is good, we had a bucket of wings and a pizza. They both were very good. The pizza was simple, with a great tomato sauce that was uncomplicated and let the pepperoni shine.

Now for the beer. I have had the blueberry in the past, and it has been very good. They make a pumpkin in the fall that is great. This time around I had two. I had the peach, and it was pretty good, all in. It had a great peach smell and finished dry. On a whim, I tried the pineapple. They had a Hawaiian name the first night, and the next day they had renamed it. It was cloudy and very pineapple smelling. The taste, wow! It was amazing for a fruit beer. My husband had the IPA and really liked it. All of the beers have been very good.
Jul 24, 2012
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Reviewed by psuKinger from Pennsylvania

4.13/5  rDev 0%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5
A few blocks away from the "main intersection" in Monroeville, this is the third of what is now four Rivertowne locations, and the location responsible for brewing all of the Rivertowne beers that you find at the other three locations. It is worth noting that I believe much of the bottled "Rivertowne" is made at Full Pint Brewing, which is a bit of a joint venture where I believe Rivertowne is a part investor and brewers Goddard and Maxwell brew for both operations.

Atmosphere: Atmosphere is fairly laid back. When it's "busy" there is a buzz of chatter around the bar, but even then it's far from "rowdy".

Quality: I'll break Quality up into two categories:

Q1 = Quality of the Beer Lines/Glasses/Pour/freshness/etc.
I've rarely if ever had any problems with the beer lines or glassware at Rivertowne. Everything is genuinely fresh and of good quality.

Q2 = Quality of the beer being served. I like almost everything they make. I love very little of it.

Rivertowne's beers tend to be maltier, and I'm a hop head. And they certainly are flavorful, for the most part, but they aren't "aggressively flavored" in a smack-you-in-the-face way, and sometimes I like bigger, stronger, bolder beers. Like I said, it's good beer. Just maybe a bit short of "great beer".

Service: Service is usually good here.

Selection: At the Pourhouse location, the only offering that wasn't made in-house is the Woodchuck Cider. They'll generally have 18 beers on draft, which I think is phenominal for a brewpub. But I do also wish they would offer a few out-of-town selections, as well.

Food: Food is very good here. Greasy bar food and impressive dinner options, all done exceptionally well and at a reasonable price. As such, non-beer-lovers will enjoy making this trip with you as well as craft-beer-drinkers will.

Value: The beers are a bit on the high end, at almost $5 a pop, but that's offset by the value this place delivers with it's appetizer and entree offerings.
Jan 18, 2012
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Reviewed by Dogbrick from Ohio

3.85/5  rDev -6.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4
(Visited 02/2011): Rivertowne Pourhouse (pun!) is located in northeastern Monroeville on Center Rd, not too far off 376 and relatively close to the airport. They have ample parking around the building and across the street.

The interior is laid out in different rooms with brewing equipment situated in the middle. The bar area offers a good number of seats, and there are high tables and restaurant tables elsewhere. The motif is not surprisingly Steelers- heavy, with wood and outdoorsy-type decor behind it all. There are boards listing available beers as well.

Rivertowne has a fairly extensive draught list and offers paddles to sample them. On my visit there were 16 unique beers, ranging from lighter fare like Uter Brau and Light Tackle to stronger beers like Slhoppy Monster IIPA. Other options include Dark Helmet Schwarzbier, B.A. Babockus and Uncle Tom's Tumbling Pebble. On the whole the beers are average to above average.

Service on a weekday lunch was good. The place was pretty empty and the server was attentive and relatively knowledgeable about the beers.

Food at Rivertowne is solid. The menu leans toward seafood and they have a lot of subs/sandwiches too. Both my and my colleague's lunches were enjoyable.

Overall this place is a decent spot to hit outside the Pittsburgh area.
Sep 12, 2011
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Reviewed by DrDemento456 from Pennsylvania

4.35/5  rDev +5.3%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4
One of my favorite Pubs to go to. The drafts are reasonably priced at $4.75 and even cheaper during their 10-12 happy hour at only $3.00 for most of the brews and half priced appetizers.

The atmosphere is a little rustic but it is spacious with tables in the front and back. Good luck getting a seat at the bar on Saturday since this place is popular and packed.

The best foods I found are the spinach and artichoke dip with bread and the scotch eggs (sausage covered hard boiled eggs, fried with a side of hot sauce) Will need to get the Jambalaya hoagie again.

With 12-14 beers on tap and bottles to go this place is awesome. Whats even better is I just got a 50 dollar's worth of goods for 25 dollars. What could be better?
Aug 25, 2011
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Reviewed by Flounder57 from Massachusetts

4.14/5  rDev +0.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5
We found this bar off the brewpub listing in the Ale Street News. Good stop before we head into Pitt to see the Red Sox/Bucs series.

The atmosphere is not bad. A bunch of high top tables, regular tables, 25 seats at the bar. The place could use a little remodeling. If you walk around, you can peek into the brewery located in the middle of the restaurant.

they have 19 beers on draft and all the beers are under 5 for a 16oz draft. The bartender was very knowledgeable about the beers and pointed us in the right direction. We didn't get any food, but it looks reasonably priced.
Jun 24, 2011
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Reviewed by Hojaminbag from Colorado

4.1/5  rDev -0.7%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5
The Rivertowne Pourhouse in Monroeville is quite a trek from north of the Burgh, so this place isn't exactly one of my hang outs, but it's only the distant that keeps me from coming more often.

First of all, as others have mentioned, be careful crossing the street from the parking lot to the bar; it can be pretty rough at night, especially after a couple of beers.

When you walk into the bar there is an octagon shaped bar on the right, with tables to the left and some of the brewing set-up visible behind a window on the left.

I like the vibe here, but I don't love it. No one was rude or anything, but no one was especially friendly either. I think if it were a weekend things might be different.

Service was snappy, but I was a little put off that the sampler trays include 7 beers, and you cannot pick which 7. You will take the 7 they give you and be happy with it! I wasn't angry with this, but it really didn't make any sense to me either, especially because I had to try a beer that I just finished a pint of.

The tap list on-line seems up to date to me, and it is impressive that they manage to keep so many of their brews on-tap at all times. Everything was pretty good, and the range of styles is great. Everyone should be able to find something they like here, even though it is only house beers.

I didn't try the food, but it looked like large portioned, solid bar food. In other words, I will give it a shot on my next trip.
Mar 30, 2011
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Reviewed by slander from New York

4.15/5  rDev +0.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4
Met up with James, who I didn't know it at the time but has since been identified by Ed & Heather as the drunk who ate all my mozzarella sticks at Blake Street Tavern in Denver a few GABF's back while I was taking the tour of the brewery & distillery. "Fucker!", the call a ½ dozen years overdue, but he brought me some homebrew so we're square. A decent but not terribly unruly ride out one night...

Stand alone on the side of the road, with a deadly get to from parking across the over there. 6 sides of an octagon shaped wood plank laminated bar, off the entrance seating 18 all around. Large waffle chip looking piece over the bar lined with mug club mugs along the perimeter and cross hatchings, flatscreens mounted above and growlers lining the top.

Strangely shaped room narrowing from the bar. Yellow walls over wood plank lowers, and droppish ceiling with sunken spots. The place is done in way too much Steelers whatever everywhere, but also some Xmas wrapped nothings and on the far wall, brewery beer boards listing beer by beer, fishing pics, old tyme (like before the letter "I" was available to everyone) black & whites of earlier than now type stuff, and shirts hanging. Flats throughout and all around for viewing images. On the far wall, a 3 barrel tank extending through the wall, the taps pouring from there. A row of 11 below 7 more above (center 3, singles outside). Next to the taps, some kind of vertical slat board listing tap selections, 1 to 18.

7 hightops & a single low boy around the bar, and another half dozen tables beyond, down and around some glass caged in brewing equipment to a wraparound room with a dozen tables and another dozen in a room through there, the windows growler lined. Copper brewing equipment to the rear of the center room with some sort of super special hang; some sort of a banquet space back there all curtained up. And of course, a small nook with darts & the obligatory Phil's golf game (live).

Samplers are served on a fish shaped wood piece slotted. The brewmaster's sampler offered 7 beers of my choosing (there's also an assistant brewmaster's sampler but it dealt less beers so I deemed it less good). Started with the Shepherd's Crook Scottish Ale, 5.1%, dark, smooth maltiness without the band aid; Highland Heather Scotch Ale, 9.7%, boozy, malty, lighter in color; Last Chance Vienna Lager, 5.5%, sweet, nicely balanced; Godoffle Hefe, 5.7%, sulfur nose, banana & clove; Casc-It (American ESB), 5.2%, on nitro, all cascaded up; Drunken Leprechaun (Dry Irish Stout), 5.2%, also on nitro, roasty; Old Wylie's IPA, 6.2%, nicely hopped. And I guess I have to choose another 7, so... Babbling Blonde, 5.3%, light, with a slight maltiness; Uterbrau, 5.3%, a very good alt, red, malty; White Lightning, 6.3%, grains of paradise & coriander, it's a big beer; Arctic Amber, 6.0%, decently balanced; West Coast Stout, 6.4%, nicely roasty; Razzmatazz, 5.2%, not overly cloying for a raspberry; Super Simcoe Extra Pale Ale, 5.3%, Simcoe, enough said. Win! And there's really only a handful left unvisited, so... Pineapple Under the Sea, 4.8%, oh yes, pineapple, uh huh, but the base beer is what I don't know; Brown Ale, 5.5%, good maltiness, as well it should; Super Simcoe Extra Pale Ale on cask, I am officially not liking my first beer here; and I decided to forego contestant number 18, the Ultra Light Tackle. The Last Chance Vienna Lager, Casc It, Old Wylie's IPA, Uterbrau, White Lightning, West Coast Stout, Super Simcoe Extra Pale Ale & Brown Ale were all very good, and that's ½ of them.

Had a cup of the wedding soup, only had to ask twice (actually, asked once and reminded once), and it was just okay. Toyed then, with the all you can eat crab legs, but no, I'll deal the blackened tuna salad. Hooray, Iceburg lettuce, you are king of all lettuce (even if everyone says you have less than zero nutritional value), and yeah, man, I was diggin' on them mandarin oranges goin' on. You know what woulda really made that salad money? Had it shown up with the French dressing I'd asked for instead of nothing but pain. Still, it was a good salad, I 'et it up.

Comfortable enough place. A decent crowd this Tuesday night, except for this bunch of ass clowns in kilts playing bar video games, they should shut up. Server spaced my soup and denied me dressing on the salad, but dealt me samples of what I missed on the samplers and was aesthetically pleasing. And the beers, they really were pretty good overall.
Dec 14, 2010
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Reviewed by bnmir from Pennsylvania

2.73/5  rDev -33.9%
vibe: 3 | quality: 2.5 | service: 3 | selection: 2.5 | food: 3
I'm not sure what happened here. The brewer (who used to be at John Harvards) is capable of exceptional work. But lately, most everything i've tried has seemed like a watered down, mass marketized version of what it should be.
Hefeweizen with nary a sniff of clove or banana.
Irish red without a hint of dry roastiness.
Maybe Full Pint Brewing is taking too much time, or maybe their just catering to a clientele that still isn't ready to get too far away from IC light.
The food is good, but not exceptional. There's a pretty broad selection, even my picky wife can find something.
The atmosphere of the restaurant is comfortable, but no particular character.
Be careful crossing the street to the parking area after you've had a few.
Oct 23, 2010
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Reviewed by foamman from New Jersey

1.9/5  rDev -54%
vibe: 2 | quality: 1 | service: 2 | selection: 3 | food: 1.5
The food...greasy. The pretzels with the beer cheese sauce fell short when we couldn't figure out what the stuff in the cheese was. The real downfall was the beer. We each ordered a sampler and each one was more water downed than the previous. The worst one was the IPA that tasted like soapy dish water. Avoid this place at all cost!

Here is a list of places in could have gotten a better meal and beer at... Friday's, Red Lobster, Golden Corral, Long John Silver's, the Marriot Courtyard...

TERRIBLE!!!
Aug 31, 2010
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Reviewed by DrinkbythePond from Pennsylvania

4.7/5  rDev +13.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5
It's a little hard to find and it can be dangerous walking across the street, but the detached parking lot, but I try to stop everytime I'm in Pittsburgh. I'm always able to find a beer or three that I like from the Beer menu. I like a fruit beer now again and they always have at least one, but the Irish brews are my favorite. It's a great place to get a sampler. The food is outstanding. They have a jambalaya sub that is out of this world. I have never had a problem with the service; it's friendly and fast. The bar area is noisy, but I generally sit away from it. Lots of TVs and the layout makes it nice to see other people enjoying the place. I'll continue to go back everytime I visit Pitt.
Aug 02, 2010
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Reviewed by brewman63 from Pennsylvania

4.63/5  rDev +12.1%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4
After reading so many good things about this place we decided to check it out and are glad (and sad) we did. Glad because it lived up to everything everyone has said about the place: great beer, great food, great service. Sad because it isn't closer (I'll take it in my neighborhood anyday). It's about a 30 minute drive (thank God for GPS) so we have to be careful one of us can find the way back home, but it is definitely worth the trip. I will agree that with the vast beer selection it borders on overkill and after your fifth or sixth beer they can start to blend together. The IPA and the Melting Pot pale ale were very good as was the wit beer and the saison. The hefe was okay, nothing great and the kolsch was alright - not my favorite. Even if beer isn't your thing the food is another reason to go. Their menu is almost as vast as the beer selection. Page after page of appetizers, salads, sandwiches, wraps, dinners, pizza. You can get lost just looking through it. Started off with a bucket of mussels and half-bucket of whole wings. The wings were good but the mussels were excellent - especially if you like garlic. Ending up getting another bucket with our dinners. Their sandwiches are huge and come with either homemade fries or homemade chips - both a good also. The staff is very friendly, knowledegable and helpful. Very big and clean inside. As I've always dreamed of having my own brewpub this place is almost how I pictured it would be (maybe they can open another a little closer?). Definitely worth the trip and will be going back again.
Jun 09, 2010
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Reviewed by Boto from Connecticut

3.94/5  rDev -4.6%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4
A friend told me about this place. I stopped by on a recent trip to the area. I didn't have any of the food, but the guy next to me had something that looked quite intriguing. They were scotch eggs, which were hard boiled eggs wrapped in sausage and then fried. There was a very wide selection of beer styles available, and I think all were also available in growlers. All were brewed on the premises. The beers that I had were quite solid. A rustic atmosphere (lots of yellow pine), with quite a few TV's tuned to sports.
May 03, 2010
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Reviewed by OneDropSoup from Pennsylvania

4.08/5  rDev -1.2%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4
Rivertowne's got some good beer. My favorite, in fact, in southwestern PA, & perhaps western PA, period. They have a great selection, & don't shy away from lagers -- their Vienna Lager is one of my favorites. You can pretty much find something for everyone there. The quality of the beer is good to great, never had a complaint.

Service is friendly & approachable, as well as knowledgeable about what they have to offer. The food is good, hearty pub grub, for the most part. No complaints, & you're going to leave full. I'm especially a fan of their Sunday brunch buffet -- brunch & beer, what more could you want? Prices are definitely reasonable.

Rivertowne is a friendly, down-to-earth establishment that's connected with the community: for instance, they held the local homebrew club's competition last summer, & brewed a large batch of the winning brew.

I think the thing Rivertowne could improve the most on is "vibe". Where I feel like other brewpubs in the area really have an atmosphere down & know who they are, Rivertowne really wavers in this. Most days & evenings it's a warm, lodge-like family brewpub. Sundays, especially, it becomes very family-friendly, with the brunch spread & families with kids coming from church. There are a number of "fun, neighborhood bar" nights, with Name-That-Tune, DJs, other fun stuff. Friday & Saturday nights, though, they turn up the dance music & it borders on meat market. The logo'd thongs reinforce this, which they sell along with T-shirts. I'm not a fan of this semi-club vibe, but whatever. I guess what I'm saying is that it seems like Rivertowne's trying to find an identity, & I hope they stick to one soon.

It's hard to review a place I've visited a lot, as I see both the good & the bad (same thing with D's & Sharp Edge). But the fact that I've been there so many times is a testament to the quality of the Pourhouse. Overall it's a great place & I'm always happy to come back. Highly recommended for travelers through, as it's not far off the Turnpike.
Mar 21, 2010
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Reviewed by akorsak from Pennsylvania

3.9/5  rDev -5.6%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3.5
Last stop on the whirlwind Gratitude tour of the 'Burgh. Dinner on the agenda before heading eastward.

Atmosphere: Parking is across from the restaurant, making the journey across Center Rd. perilous at times. Inside, the bar and dining area are one large room, bar on right dining area on the left. I bellied up the bar immediately. Nice wooden decor, nothing wicked fancy, all around the restaurant. Near the bar, large chalkboards depict the tap offerings, nice touch.

Quality: Nothing to complain about in any facet of the experience. Restrooms were acceptable and, as always, the no smoking environment was welcome.

Service; Bar service was reasonably prompt, although it did seem short-handed/understaffed at times.

Selection: An impressive number of taps, significantly all in-house beers (woodchuck cider was the only guest), running the gamut from blonde ale to fruit beer to barleywine and stout. I settled in with the IPA and pale ale.

Food: A decent menu that has sandwiches, entrees and finger food. It's not haute cuisine but it fits in a brewpub.
Mar 07, 2010
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Reviewed by mgbickel from Pennsylvania

4.34/5  rDev +5.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 5 | selection: 4
Stopped in here while in the Monroeville area. Only had time for one pint, but I did manage to take a look around and speak with the brewer.

You enter into the bar area...lots of TVs and seating available, not to mention the huge bar. The brewing equipment is right in the middle of everything, so you have a 360 view of the inner workings of the place. It looks like there is also a back area that you can reserve for private parties...

They had a number of different offerings available...everything from light to dark. I had the 8 O'clock stout. Great beer!

The bartender was courteous and friendly. The other servers said hi as I wandered around the grounds, and the brewer was friendly and took the time to speak with me...that says a lot because he was pretty busy...

If I lived closer to this place, I would be a regular here...I can only hope the next time they open a new location, it is in my area!
Mar 01, 2010
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Reviewed by allboutbierge from Austria

4.25/5  rDev +2.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 5 | selection: 4 | food: 4
Even after two years, there's still a lot of open space on the walls and thats refreshing. It almost makes me gag when I walk into TGIF or somewhere else and it looks like someone's yard sale has been nailed on the wall. Other then that, theres alot of light, high ceilings and the furniture is cool. Lots of unfinished wood (in the chairs mostly).

Bar is a big island off to the side. There's two entrances now, one to the bar and one to the restaurant.

Beer selection is wide, but admittedly heavy in the fruit beer section. It would be nice to see more of an emphasis shifted towards ales, i.e cream ales, oatmeal stouts, bitters, etc. Cask ale when I was there was the iced amber...an odd choice in my book for a real ale. The IPA is one of the best in the state.

Both brewers and ownership family are very approachable and friendly. We had the Sunday brunch for $10.95 and it was reasonable. Huge breakfast part, the rest mostly similar to very good catering. The normal menu is heavy in pub fare and done very well.

Service is well coached, trained and managed and it shows. I don't come here often, as I tend to prefer more commericially produced craft brews, but its a solild choice and I doubt few would find anything to be disappointed in.
Sep 07, 2009
Rivertowne Pourhouse in Monroeville, PA
Brewery rating: 3.85 out of 5 with 685 ratings