Restaurant Reviews: Spud's of Kutztown, Pennsylvania

As any college student can likely attest to, finding good food at or around college can be fairly difficult. Generally, the cafeteria and other on-campus eating locations provide food that is either of very low quality or simply does not taste good. However, while many students make the decision to venture out into town, even these ventures rarely come back with good results. Often even the restaurants in college towns have succumbed to decay and bad food. However, Kutztown, Pennsylvania is lucky in the fact that it has many good locations to eat sitting right on main street. However, one of the most unique and one of the best, is known as Spud's.

True, the restaurant may not look like too much on the outside, as the plain exterior with only a couple tables set up and a fairly low key sign don't advertise the goodness that lies within. Although the inside of the restaurant is nice, and it offers clean tables and a counter-bar like area for eating, the space is very limited, and potential patrons are best advised to either pick up food or have it delivered. However, even though the restaurant may not have the most luxurious of interior design, it is nonetheless always clean and a great place for some causal dining. The inside of Spud's always seems warm and friendly, and the nice staff makes every dining experience pleasant. Even during the busy hours, you can expect the staff to give you their full attention, and they are never too busy to craft a custom order or handle a special request.

Far more than appearance, though, what really sets Spuds apart is the food. The restaurant takes an interesting approach to a very familiar food: French fries. The restaurant offers about a dozen possible options when it comes to fries, and you can order such interesting takes as buffalo chicken fries or pizza fries. This may sound to be a very strange combination, but the way in which the restaurant approaches making food is incredibly unique, and enough to turn a skeptic to a believer with only a single taste. Quite simply, there is just something unexplainably good about the food at Spud's. The fries are prepared interestingly, and always look good, whether one has ordered the banana pepper fries or the cheeseburger fries. No matter what the choice, the food always looks good and tastes even better.

Apart from fries, Spud's also offers the standard assortment of burgers, wings, chicken fingers and the like. Of course, all of these choices are equally good, although they do not offer the same uniqueness that can be found in the variety of fries available. One particular highlight is the chicken cheese steak, which is delicious, and a great deal for the money. Which brings up one other benefit of eating at Spud's, the restaurant is priced for college students, and as such most of the food is very reasonable, except for one particular menu item.

That item, and what has made Spud's a local legend around the Kutztown area is known as "The Beast". The Beast is a three pound hamburger, served with an equally large amount of toppings on an equally large roll. Anyone who can manage to eat the burger is given a t-shirt, a gift certificate, and their framed picture put on the wall. Visitors to Spud's can see the past eaters of the beast, as well as a picture of the record holder, who downed the entire burger in just over fourteen minutes. Indeed, Spud's is not only good food, it is a friendly place, and the atmosphere alone will have many returning.

While Kutztown, PA definitely has it's fair share of possible restaurants to enjoy, one of the best, and the most unique to be found is Spud's. Combining great food, reasonable prices, and an interesting take on menu items, Spud's is a local favorite among college students, and is one place that all visitors should definitely stop by.