Otto's Pub and Brewery — Restaurant in Patton Township

I do not write this review with bad intention, however this has by far been the worst experience I have ever had at a restaurant and with me eating at Ottos on various occasions, this day will be the last time I spend my money there.

I would like to preface by saying that I do understand the urgency and how busy it gets when there is a football game, however that does not allow employees of any rank to treat customers so poorly. I had originally a party of four, we detailed to the waitress that we will be having four others join and she stated to us that this was fine and she would either move us to the bigger table or they would accommodate something.

After giving updates to the waitress when they were an hour out, 30 minutes out, and 5 minutes out, they came into the restaurant and sat at the vacant table next to us. Long story short, a manager (grey hair, caucasian lady) came to our guest at the next table and with all the theatrics and waving of the hands told them to ‘get up and go to the front and put their names down’ she stated it twice getting more dramatic (I really don’t want to call her prejudice, but the theatrics were unlike any other she used to other guests of the restaurant).

After she rudely tried to get them up, I called her over and explained that we were in communication with our waitress and this action was approved and she would need to talk to the waitress before she rudely comes over. After this, and sitting with what just happened, we all (8 of us) chose not to dine there. We asked for the checks so we could leave. I personally asked one waitress (mixed light skin girl, if I knew their names I would name them) to grab our waitress when she has a second. She proceeds to get stern, raise her voice and say ‘She will get to you when she has time, I am not going to grab her.’

At this point, I lost it. And at that moment I realized that this may not be a matter of race, but just ignorance and lack of respect. If you cannot handle a stressful environment, do not work in the food industry. If you cannot handle working with various types of people from different backgrounds, do not work in the food industry. If your respect and consideration is limited, do not work in food industry. THIS IS COMING FROM SOMEONE WHO WORKED IN IT.

I am so disappointed and will never dine there again.

OH! And when I went to the front to pay my bill, the manager up front tried to ‘check’ me and say the person who I was raising a complaint about was a ‘manager.’ Like I told her, I do not care if she was the CEO, there is a way you talk and treat people.

I will inform anyone who asks me about this restaurant NOT...

I went to Otto's with my wife and two children (5 and 6) while visiting our old stomping ground at PSU. I wish this place was around when I was in college.

I honestly wouldn't have tried this place normally but a lot of the restaurants were take-out only due to Covid and we were staying in a hotel 5 minutes away. Needless to say, I'm glad we checked it out.

This place is great. The service was outstanding. Our server (Andy) forgot my wife and my root beers- which they make on site. It honestly was not a big deal -it happens- but he apologized profusely and ended up comping them. He was a really nice guy too. He was quick and attentive on everything else.

Atmosphere is great. There is a nice bar area with plenty of TVs to watch the games and they have heated outdoor seating, which is great for people who are hesitant to go out b/c of the pandemic. Just a really nice, comfortable atmosphere.

Last but not least, the food was phenomenal. I got a 22 oz NY strip which was cooked perfectly and was incredibly tender and delicious. It was served with whipped potatoes and roasted broccoli, both of which were seasoned well. My wife got the soup of the day (name is escaping me but it was Cajun style with andouille sausage) which was also great. She also got a Cobb salad, which was enormous. Well worth the price. It was also very fresh.

The biggest plus for me was the kids meals They are $5 each and come with a drink, a main course and a veggie/fries/apple sauce. It's just enough food and I tasted my son's salmon (I know, what 5 year old likes salmon!?) and it really was amazing. My other son got chicken fingers, which I didn't try but they looked good and he finished everything, including the carrots with ranch.

I didn't try any beers but they have a wide selection with most being brewed at their brewery or in state. Well worth a visit if you're a beer drinker and want to try something new.

Overall, this is a great place to eat and honestly better than a lot of places downtown. Service was great, the food came out very fast and was phenomenal. I will definitely come here again next time I'm in State College and would recommend this...

I've been going to Otto's for close to 20 years. Been a pub club member almost that long. The 2 star review here is the average of the beer and the food. Beer is good, they aren't as trendy or innovative as other breweries in town, but the standard beers are decent. The food however is another story. Best meal I ever had at Ottos was my first, since then it's been going slowly downhill, to the point where we are today, where I stopped going. The burgers are dry, the fries are bad, the specials ain't. The Saucier must be the highest paid guy in the kitchen, because everything is inadequately sauced. My wife got a Cowboy burger, and had to ask where the BBQ sauce is. The answer: It's between the burger and the melted cheese. If you have to ask that question, you didn't put enough on. Subsequently the burgers are dry and hard to eat. The last meal on the menu that I liked, the brisket cheesesteak, they finally ruined, but moving from chopped brisket to shaved beef. The choice would have been fine, but 30 mins under a heatlamp meant my cheesesteak was, you guessed it, dry. The food here used to be somewhat fancy, they used to have specials that were verging on gourmet. Now any "gastropub" pretensions that Otto's may have had are out of the window, you'll get better food at a Chili's. Oh, they have a proper woodfired pizza oven and the pizza is still mediocre, not sure how they manage that. Service is usually pretty good here, depends on the day. Bad Example: Last time I went with my youngest, we ordered the kid's slider meal. They brought him adult one instead, the only difference, it doesn't come with a cookie. When the mistake was pointed out, rather than just bringing him a cookie, the server looked pissed, whipped away the adult meal and my son had to wait another 20 mins for his food while we ate. Then they charged me for both the adult and the kids meal on the bill.

Otto's has gone...