Restaurant Reviews: Brewer's of West Reading

As many fans of dining out are likely aware of, the phrase, "Bar and Grill" can either mean something very good or something very bad. All too often, it seems as though restaurant owners tend to focus on only one aspect of that phrase, leaving the other (and the audience that prefers it) to suffer as well. While this is not always the case, it is definitely the case with Brewer's Bar and Grill, located in West Reading directly off of the 422 exit from the 222 highway.

To be fair, Brewer's does look very nice from the outside, and although the parking lot is a nightmare to navigate, and there are dumpsters which take up a good two or three parking spaces, the grounds are nicely maintained. The inside of the restaurant looks nice as well. However, here we seem to encounter one of the main problems with Brewer's: there is no separate dining room from the bar area. Which means that for those who want to enjoy their food away from the clamor of drunken people and smoke, there is really no option. There are some tables to the sides of the bar room, although they tend to get in the way of the more clumsy patrons more than provide a pleasant place to sit and eat.

However, it is not the appearance of Brewer's which costs it the most points, but rather the overall atmosphere. Few of the bartenders are really pleasant, and if you forget to leave them a tip once, they will never forget it. The majority of the staff seems to be very badly trained in handling busier nights, and expect to have your order forgotten, put in late or incorrect, or be given a dirty look while you order if there happens to be more than 10 or 12 people who are eating that night.

The poor management of the inside of the restaurant is apparent in other dimensions as well. There are no dedicated waiters, and if the bartenders feel too lazy to go and get your food from the kitchen, one must wait for the kitchen staff to stop what they are doing and bring it out, causing even further delay.

To be fair, the food is moderately good. However, the menu is really not that extensive, and aside from the traditional sandwiches and hamburgers, as well as fryer food, there really isn't a whole lot to choose from. The grilled food is decent, although many of the cooks are notorious for not thoroughly cooking the food before it comes out. Expect to order your food well done if red meat bothers you in the least. However, while the food may not always be served with a smile, and it may not always seem to be of the best quality, it does generally taste pretty good, and one really cannot complain about the fairly cheap prices.

What redeems Brewer's, more than anything else are the various theme nights that they have. Monday has an all-you-can eat wing special (and the wings are very good), Tuesday is a karaoke night, Wednesday has a steak and fries special, and so on. These theme nights help to make sure that eating at Brewer's is a different experience, even though some of them (such as karaoke night) could perhaps use a slight redesign.

The only other problem with Brewer's is how loud the restaurant tends to get. As mentioned before, there is no separate eating area, and as the restaurant tends to cater to a younger crowd (and the bouncers have no capacity for acting on inappropriate behavior) expect to experience quite a few rude patrons and some very loud and unpleasant dining experiences.

Yes, Brewer's may be a great place to stop for a beer and a quick bite to eat, but those who are looking for a legitimately enjoyable dining experience are best advised to try somewhere else. Reading and West Reading have no shortage of great restaurants, it just seems that Brewer's is not one of them.