Pinocchio's Restaurant

Love this place. They have a deep selection, the guys are very knowledgeable, and their events are always eventful. The prices are a little marked up, but the availability of 25 beers on tap, and ability to get crowlers of those beers makes it an absolute gem. Food is standard pizza joint fare and is always good. You can sit in the restaurant with the fam or drink and bottle shop in the beer garden which has more great beers per square inch than just about anywhere else locally!

 

 

This is the happiest (hoppiest?) place on earth. Always something new and interesting on tap, generous samples, tremendously helpful staff, and a very sociable and welcoming crowd of regulars.

 

 

 

 

 

Made my first trip over to Pinocchio's over the weekend based on the reviews below, and let me tell you, I wasn't disappointed! Very small place, basically a hallway with coolers and a bar/cash register but that cooler was packed with good beer. They were even a bit wiped out due to the holiday rush but I still found plenty to take away. Had a glass of Pirate Bomb! on draft, which is unheard of in Central Pa. Ended up with bottle from all over the place including but not limited to: Thirsty Dog, Firestone Walker, Russian River, and many more. Didn't get to try any food but these little pizza joints are typically excellent. Both guys working in the bottle shop side were knowledgeable, friendly, and super helpful.

Overall this is an awesome place, if it was my local shop I'd be in there multiple times a week.

Pinnochios beer garden is a great little spot to find some stellar brews. Their anniversary celebrations are 10++ with some of the best stuff available! I really like the fact that you pay $3-$4 for the really tough to get stuff, unlike Capone's who charges $10. Interesting Delco crowd in there and laughter typically fills the air which is very inviting to me. I've had some really nice conversations with other patrons of whom I had never met before. The prices are fair and the food is great!

My favorite place in Media. Amazing beer selection on tap in the restaurant.
Here's a PARTIAL list from my last visit:
Avery duganA
Funk Private Stock #2
Lagunitas Fusion 24
Champion Stickin' In My Rye (IPA in collaboration w/ NOFX)
Hardywood Huell Melon Saison
Oxbow Farmhouse Pale Ale
Port Brewing Santa's Little Helper
Pizza Boy Sunny Side Up
Samuel Adams Kosmic Mother Funk Grand Cru
Sam Adams Thirteenth Hour Stout
Sam Adams Black Harbor Stout
Lindeman's Framboise
Dupont Avec les Bons Voeux
Big Hill Standard Cider
Top that off with great pizza and you can't lose!!!
Also, they have a great beer selection of beers to-go at reasonable prices. A must visit!

 

 

The wife and I had a company car picked up at the airport. Where to go? I scouted some beer locations in the suburbs… Pinocchio’s made sense, so close to PHL. So there we went, on a Sunday night. Media is a nice-looking small town, more Middle (pun non intended) America than Boring Main Line Suburb.

Pinocchio’s is an old jawn, kind of like a traditional diner and/or pizza joint that carries great beer. Not much atmosphere to speak of, but the service is nice, the pizza is delicious and the beer is wow.

During my visit, they had Deschutes Black Butte XXVI, Neshaminy Leon Russian Imp Stout, Uinta DIPA, Southern Tier Warlock, Evolution Migration Rum Barrel, Allagash Victor and other goodies. They ain’t joking about the beer here!

We had a white pizza to die for, thin crust and super delicious. Attached to the main restaurant is the Pinocchio’s Beer Garden, a take-out shop with lots of coolers filled with a wide array of good beer. You can also order a pint from their taps and drink it there or fill up a growler.
I can’t wait to go back!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a review mostly for the beer section and not for the attached restaurant. Such is the crazy current PA laws so this review will focus on the retail beer outlet.

Inside it's pretty small but offers a solid selection. The isle is quite small, and you would think from outside the place would be larger but it isn't it's a tad cramped, Numerous recent brews that are distributed plus a few occasional PA surprises that might be as common for the East Coast. Deschutes, Port Brewing and Lost Abbey, Alesmith, Jester King, the odd Russian River.

THere is great service here though, with very cordial staff who will help you out with any questions, but without being pushy. Rural PAs provides some reasonable prices, and nothing here is outrageous.

However, there are only a few odd selections that peaked my interest. I probably wouldn't make my way out here on a long trip, but if I was in the area without question I would stop by to take a look for some tasty brews. Growlers are available as well.

Pinocchio's is about as good as it gets for a bottle shop/bar combination in the Western burbs. Don't be fooled by the old-time feel, this place has been a staple for decades because they provide a consistently good product. Park, walk past the front door, walk past the take out, and hit the beer garden in the back.

At this point sensory overload takes over. This place is narrow with a row of coolers to the left and a few more on the right, and more often than not, pretty crowded given the small space, but don't get overwhelmed. Walk up to the counter and pick up the draft list, at which point you'll probably be greeted by one of the awesome bartenders. 25 taps and usually all of them are intriguing. I usually go here expecting to stay for the long haul. Grab a beer, settle in, and take a sip. Suddenly, a moment of clarity, warmth overtakes you and you feel as though everyone there is or could be your friend. No longer overwhelmed, take a second, or a minute, or a few hours and check out the beer in those coolers...don't try and drool on the ground, but if you happen to do so, the bartenders will be happy to give you a rag to clean it up... Their selection is fantastic, and they do get special releases on the regular, but they move quick. I cannot numerate the amount of great things I've bought from here, and the prices tend to be reasonable, for example I recently picked up Eclipses for $25. In this area they are some of the biggest supporters of Oskar Blues and Founders, so their stuff stays in stock. I love me some 19.3oz Dale's Pale cans.

The pizza here is great and they do provide awesome monthly specials. The rest of the food is nothing special, but it will keep you sated. The restaurant portion of Pinocchio's is more like a diner, and if you go in there expecting that, you won't be disappointed. Service follows in the same vein as a diner, so don't expect an over the top experience, but you'll have a great time. This is the kind of place where you can be yourself, where you can be loud and obnoxious, and where you can have a whole lot of fun doing nothing with friends. I have met a many fantastic people that go to or work at this place, and every time I go I find myself meeting someone new or seeing a friend of old.

The only way this place could be better is if the beer garden was bigger. When I go to Pin, it's usually for the following:

-Grabbing a beer, ordering food, and finishing said beer while putting together a 6'er and waiting for my food.
-Having some beers with friends...this may or may not end with me taking food home; the best part, kitchen is open until 1am
-Pre-dinner or pre-going out beers; for the nights we're going to a BYO (Fellini's is devine) or nights we want a "different" vibe; like shameless karaoke at Joclyns
-Post-dinner or post-going out beers; cannot go wrong with a good night cap
-Anytime I visit Media...

 

 

Longtime Media pizza restaurant/deli expanded to feature craft beers, more seating, and more taps. I have never dined in but I craved pizza and the taplist sold us, so we crossed the bridge. Port High Tide and Stone Double IPA...enough said.

Salt of the earth regulars, Delconians and families with little kids. Crowded on a Monday night at dinner time, we got the last free booth. They had a few TV's but the one over our booth was off.

Service was awesome. Food was cheap and satisfying. I recommend the lightly battered green beans app for $6. I requested marinara as a dipping sauce instead of ranch and they were fine with that. Make your own mini pizza $9. Bill had the special grilled ham on pretzel sandwich.

The Growlers and beer store in the back is like a 4.5 in itself but I am just reviewing our dining experience. Thanks and we will be back! :)

 

I am new to this forum although I've been an appreciator of craft beer for quite some time now. The selection at the Beer Garden is nearly untouchable for this area; that being said they are outrageously priced. I just paid $25 to get my growler refilled with Southern Tier's Pumpkin Ale at this place. I could have literally walked down the street and bought a six pack for less, resulting in more beer-less money. I was ripped off by these guys the last time I was in there with their "make your own six pack" program, so I thought that the growler would be a better price point. I was obviously wrong. This place is a rip-off, there are a bunch of other places in the area to get great beer at normal pricing.

 

The beer garden, separate from the restaurant, has a very extensive selection of bottles and numerous taps for glasses or growlers. Not many seats in there but definitely worth a visit for building a six pack to go! The staff is very helpful but my only complaint, not about the business itself, is that parking is a nightmare as their lot is not very big. Defintely not a reason to stay away though, if you like craft beers and like to sip a few while you shop, then this is your place!

 

Took a trip from south jersey and found it well worth it. The first time I was there the place was empty (Sun. afternoon) so I had a great chat with the bartender and he was a big help with finding beers. I found many beers that are not available in NJ so was happy to try some new top of the line beers. Can not say enough about the help...awesome. Will be back often.

We went to the Sam Adams tasting event during beer week. They always have good stuff on draft in this place. The beer garden is so small, the beers they have in stock are overpriced ($13.50 for a 6 of Twin Lakes Greenville? Really?)and they don't really have the "rare" stuff you might find in another craft beer store. However the atmosphere is nice and the guys who work there are awesome beer drinkers just like us. The food is amazing, we have been going there since I was a kid. It is well worth the trip if you are in the tri state area or just passing through.