The Avalon Ale House — Restaurant in Penn Township

As a Bar manager/Bartender leaving a bad review for a place i really like is the last thing I wana do. I drive 40 mins just to come here especially for the oysters. I'll start w the Bartender took a few min to even appear once we sat down, once she finally did come over we ordered drinks and gave us menus ( as she handed me the menu I stuck my hand in old food that was all over it, gross but shit happens) I ordered an espresso martini bc they are normally really good (id say 8/10) that was until I almost choked on something in the bottom. I've been here before multiple times I get the exact same drink every time, however, this time there were (unknowing or unwarned) Boba /popping bubbles in the bottom! Who puts popping bubbles in an espresso martin?! Ugh moving on, oysters came as always they were amazing and the main reason I come here (other than the martini) we also got crabby fries which were also very good! For our main course I ordered the sirloin w mac and cheese, smashed cheddar potatoes and crab imperial (steak rare) husband ordered the rib eye, fries and Cole slaw w his imperial on the side (steak med rare). When it came out both of our steak was rare, my imperial was on the side, his was on his steak, which was backwards, again things happen. There was so much seasoning I couldn't even taste the meat. There was no imperial just the most dry crab cake I EVER had. Mac and cheese normally amazing but was like eating paste this time and cold. Smashed potatoes weren't to bad. Personally I didn't wana take the food home but my husband said take it home for the kids so we did. The Bartender never checked in on us about the food or anything bc she was to busy carrying a conversation 90% of the time we were there. Management feel free to check your cameras to verify 2/16/25 330 pm until 515pm. Then since this was my husband and I valentine dinner I tried to make the most of it by just hanging out watching the Daytona and sipping my martini with every intention of getting another (without popping bubbles) but was handed our check before I got that chance. I asked my husband if he had asked for the check, bc I wasn't done, and he said no, but since we had it let's leave, bc at that point we felt rushed out. I won't say I'll never go again, it'll definitely be awhile if i do go back, but I won't ever go and sit at the bar if she's working as she really was just not interested in customer service (again I'm also a bartender so I try and take into account bad days, but some stuff was just inexcusable, like the disgusting coasters we were given. They are SUPPOSED TO BE SINGLE USE, they absord condensation and spilled liquid and harbor bacteria!) I still tipped 20% (when I normally do 50%) bc the other Bartender who I'm assuming splits tip was running her butt off at the end doing service bar, smiling at people and just looked SO much more pleasant. SUPER disappointed...

My friend heard about this place and wanted to try, so off we went. Arrived about mid-afternoon, fairly quiet with only a couple other tables occupied. This place has quite a menu - was looking forward trying some different items. Initially ordered 2 appetizers - the jalapeño sizzlers and the crab Rangoon dip. The jalepenos were quite good although a bit on the small side. The crab Rangoon dip was pretty good as were the chips served with it, but there were a variety of small "mystery" items that l wasn't sure what they were.... were they leftovers from the fryer (or whatever they used to make their chips) as they seemed to be overdone " scraps".... After that we ordered our entrees - my friend had salmon done "island style" (teriyaki and mango salsa) with plantains and sweet potato fries, and I chose the Texas surf and turf (brisket, crabcake, bbq sauce, crab dip, and cheese), although I did not do the bun, and chose the roasted brussel sprouts and carrots for my side. At this point several other couples/small groups started coming in , and it also seems that they do a decent amount of callin for take out... While we were waiting for our food, our waitress came over to tell us her shift was ending and someone else would be taking over. She did say a name, but would have been nice if that person had come over also, or at least been pointed out..... Given that there were not that many customers, it took a surprisingly long time to get our food.... and as we didn't know who our new server was, we didn't know who to ask about it, or to request drink refills from.... But finally it did arrive. My friend's salmon was a fairly small portion, but tasty, as were her two sides. I had mixed feelings about mine. There was a good amount of crab in the crabcake and not much breading, which was nice, but the brisket was a bit dry and seemed a bit overdone. Also my side veggies were a bit dry and not as flavorful as they could have been. So a mixed bag as far as enjoy the entrees... While the waitstaff was pleasant, they could have been a bit more attentive, especially in terms of checking in more frequently. Also, I did use the bathroom and both myself and another customer who went in at the same time were very bothered by the VERY strong smell of cigarette smoke in the bathroom. It was no noticeable out in the restaurant - not sure if someone just didn't want to go outside for a smoke break, or what, but it was really off-putting. Overall this is a place with potential, but also there are definitely areas where they could improve. If in the area, I would consider stopping by again, but based on my experience, I wouldn't go out of my way...

We went for trivia. Trivia was fun. Steve was great. The food is fine. Both the times I went it was fine but not anything amazing. On our first visit, I got the French Dip Burger, which tasted good but was pretty small for a $15 burger. This most recent trip, last night, I got wings. They were slightly overcooked and a bit tough but nothing horrible. The sauces were good. Under normal circumstances, I would consider going here again because I feel like the restaurant has potential, even if my experiences with their food so far wasn't a stunner.

The reason I'm writing this review, however, is because of a policy enforced disingenuously by our server last night. It was without a doubt anti-consumer and outright misleading. I'd even say she knowingly lied to us about it, and that does not sit well with me at all, so much that I won't be going back even though we have a gift card from our trivia win.

We arrived before 6:00, within Happy Hour. We asked our server about the 80 cent wing deal and she told us all about it. Every person at our table ordered wings under the pretense that we were getting the 80 cent wing deal. We even said when ordering, "I want the 80 cent wing deal" and placed our orders. She never indicated anything to suggest that we would not get this deal. Well, when our bill came, we were charged the full amount. When we asked her about it, she said that even though we got there before 6:00, we didn't place our order until after 6:00 so the deal didn't apply. If she told us that up front, we would have ordered something different. We certainly wouldn't have ordered as much. When asked about this, she wasn't the least bit understanding and acted agitated that we even asked her about it.

If she had just told us that the deal wouldn't apply to our bill, it wouldn't have been an issue. But she let us order the special, which we did in no uncertain terms, knowing that it would not apply, and that's really stupid and misleading.

So, the Avalon Ale House kinda screwed us, so our group will be going to...