Celebrate National Drink a Beer Day: Local family-friendly restaurants with great beer menus

Happy National Drink a Beer Day!

We know, moms and dads — it can be tough to schedule a “grownups only” night out for a meal and a beer.

Not to worry. We asked local parents to share their favorite family-friendly restaurants that also have great beer menus. Turns out Central Pennsylvania has plenty of choices!

Cheers!

Als of Hampden
2240 Millenium Way in Enola
alsofhampden.com
Als of Hampden’s Italian deli menu includes sandwiches, wings, pizza and a kids’ menu. Their recent Facebook post boasts 102 beers on tap. (But in the “Who has more taps?” contest, we’re all winners, right?) Coolers are packed with craft and international beers. An outdoor patio, as well as ample dining space indoors, means that an antsy kid can slip off her chair once or twice and never bother other customers.

Cafe Bruges
16 N Pitt Street in Carlisle
cafebruges.com
Café Bruges is small, so not the best place to take toddlers who Can. Not. Sit Still. Also, the dinner menu leans toward more adventurous eating, although burgers and fries will suit most palates. But the Brussels-style waffles served with whipped cream and Belgian chocolate sauce are reason enough to be The Most Awesome Parent Ever and allow dessert for dinner. And then there’s the Belgian beer menu….

The Coliseum
410 St. John’s Church Road in Camp Hill
coliseumfun.com
Food, beer, an arcade and bowling — with 35,000 square feet of room to dine and play, The Coliseum meets just about every definition of “family friendly.” Our parent reviewer says: “After dinner, send the kids to the arcade and enjoy some rare one-on-one time with your spouse.”

Federal Taphouse
201 N Queen Street in Lancaster; 234 N 2nd Street in Harrisburg
federaltaphouse.com
Kid-friendly menu items for food-skeptical kids include burgers and pizzas. But forget skepticism: Now is the time to introduce your kids to poutine, the Canadian delicacy of french fries covered in cheese curd and gravy. (Just don’t say “cheese curd” to your kids…trust us on this.) The adult-friendly beer menu includes 100 beers on tap. If you can’t find any Canadian beers to go with your poutine, a Michigan beer will do. Michigan is almost Canada.

Fiorentinos
Lancaster Airport, 500 Airport Rd # H in Lititz
fiorentinos.com
Fiorentino’s outside dining patio is the perfect spot to watch planes taking off and landing at the airport. With that kind of entertainment, you’ll be able to turn off the video games on the kids’ iPads. Bottled and on-tap beer lists are extensive, and the Italian food menu gets a thumbs up!

Grain +Verse Bottlehouse
148 Sheraton Drive in New Cumberland
grainandverse.com
Gourmet pizza is on the menu – try the bacon, truffle, sausage “As I Lay Pie-ing” for maximum yum – and 300+ bottles are in the cooler. Kids can try one of the non-alcoholic craft sodas and picky-eater kids (and adults) can build their own pizza, sans truffles. Bonus family fun: Grain + Verse stocks board games galore and a giant Jenga building block set. Check out their events page for live music nights.

John Wright Restaurant
234 N Front Street in Wrightsville
jwrpa.com
The outdoor “pizza patio” overlooks the Susquehanna River, and spacious green areas provide plenty of room for energetic little feet to take a walk while waiting for meals to arrive. The burgers and wood-fired pizzas will appeal to kids. Ask your server about Pennsylvania craft beers.

Lancaster Brewing Company
302 N Plum Street in Lancaster; 469 Eisenhower Boulevard in Harrisburg
lancasterbrewing.com
The dining room at the Harrisburg location has booths, so you can corral fidgety kids. The Lancaster location has an outdoor patio. The food is great, beer list is top notch — try the Double Chocolate Milk Stout! — and the atmosphere is set up for loud-ish kids.

Market Cross Pub & Brewery
113 North Hanover Street in Carlisle
marketcrosspub.com
Market Cross Pub & Brewery combines an English-pub atmosphere with an international beer selection, as well as beers from the on-site brewery. The beer list is substantial, with lots of micro and seasonal options. Dining is away from the bar area and quiet for a bar during dinner hours – but not too quiet that you have to worry about kids who don’t always use their inside voice.

Miscreation Brewing Company
6 Center Square in Hanover
miscreationbrewing.com
The downstairs dining area has floor-to-ceiling front windows for people watching; upstairs has a large-screen TV. Kids will love the super-nifty mosaic made from old skateboards. The menu for kids offers a pizza panini or grilled cheese.

Red Robin
Everywhere
redrobin.com
Oodles of parents told us this is their go-to place for keeping Mom and Dad and kids happy. The beer menu might not be extensive, but there’s enough variety to please all but the most discerning of beer connoisseurs; the food menu will please all your miniature food critics. And the place is usually loud. Really loud. Even if you spill a soda and your 3 year old has a meltdown, the wait staff and other customers will not be rattled. Everyone here is a pro when it comes to dealing with kids.

Troegs Independent Brewing
200 E Hersheypark Drive in Hershey
www.troegs.com
Large dining area? Check. Kids’ menu? Check. Lots and lots of beer on tap? You know it. While waiting for your food, take the kids on a self-guided tour through the fermentation/filtration hall, quality lab, packaging lines and barrel-aging room. Kids can learn the science behind brewing beer. Adults can taste the art. It’s an educational field trip for everyone.

Wegman’s supermarket
Silver Spring Square, 6416 Carlisle Pike in Mechanicsburg
wegmans.com
Large dining room, outdoor patio, international food buffet, international and craft bottled beers – if one parent is done eating before the other, he can pop over to the grocery store and pick up milk and cereal for the next morning.

Vito’s Pizza and Beer
Randolph Park Shopping Center, 1734 S Queen Street in York
vitospizzaandbeer.com
Vito’s serves over 100 craft beers by the bottle and rotates the beers on tap. Kids of all ages will be enchanted by the restaurant’s colorful wall murals depicting scenes from Italian country life.

Did we miss your go-to restaurant or brew pub? Let us know in the comments!