Howell’s Pub

Stopped in here randomly after reading some reviews. It did not disappoint! The staff was friendly and knowledgable. Drinks — made from fresh ingredients — were delicious. The food was unique and extremely good. Highly recommend this pub!

Awesome bar, awesome restaurant. There’s a division of space (U shaped layout), so if you’re looking for one experience or the other, you’re comfortably separated. Service is good, but the food is some of the best I’ve had. Everything is local and done fresh– seasoning, cooking, all of it, just completely spot on. There is some chef work going on in the back of this little joint, and you can tell. I had a pulled pork sandwich with silly string straws: pork was juicy, tender, with appropriate sauce, while the fries were seasoned and just crispy enough (no small feat for fries that small!) Without being dry or overdone. We also ordered the fried chicken and gravy: um, I thought we had a southerner in the kitchen! Chicken was tender, juicy, but done just right with a crispy outer breading; and the pepper gravy was not to thin or thick– another feat not easily done. Price is exceptionally reasonable for food and drink this good.

Since the beginning of summer I started coming from Philadelphia every weekend to this area and wow was it nice to find a place like this! I’m not a big fan of bread but I love how they make and serve so many varieties here. They also have new specials every day that rivals their house menu in choices. My wife had the turkey sandwich from the menu and I had a burger from their specials, we split both so we could each try them out and they were fantastic. Their beer selection is great as well with lots of local small brews on tap as well as a nice selection of bottles.
I’ve been noticing a lot of city slickers like myself coming to their getaway homes on the river and if you’re like me and enjoy beer and the variety of eats a gastropub provides, I highly recommend you try this place out, you won’t be disappointed.

I like this place, but I don’t go too often, in spite of the fact that it’s literally a walk around the corner from me. Howell’s Pub is, on its surface, a pretty standard high-​end small-​town pub and eatery. The menu consists largely of pub fare, and the bar is stocked with a beer selection to make hipster snobs and Joe Sixpacks alike proud. But then you start ordering things, and you see how the numbers don’t quite add up. Ordering the French Dip one day might get you some heavenly concoction with perfectly sliced beef, a pot of masterfully seasoned au jus, and a roll that holds the whole package together perfectly, soaking up the jus while keeping the rambunctious beef inline. Come back tomorrow and suddenly it’s on some rockhard nineteen-​grain twig bread. It’s interesting, but good god it doesn’t belong in this particular sandwich.
This happens all across the board. The chef /​owner of the place is a bit of a mad scientist. When he’s on his A-​game, it’s perfect. I’ve had some of the best beef and lamb of my life at this place. You just need to brace yourself for the occasional questionable experience. That being said, it’s never a disaster: the food’s all organic with an emphasis on localvore ingredients, and the drinks are always spot on (even if the service is occasionally a bit on the slow side). Expect to pay a bit and get what you pay for.
I’d be tempted to give the place three stars if not for its enthusiasm for local bands and cultural events. Local pianists, blue grass bands, enthusiastic cover bands, and the chef are all equally likely to be rocking out up front while you eat most days of the week. They even do poetry readings, which, while not quite my thing, are still admirable for getting people up and excited and coming out and sharing their talents with each other.
For a relatively new place, it packs a hell of a lot of sense of community. Give it a go, and see what you think. If you don’t quite understand what the hell you’re eating, consider coming back tomorrow; there’s a good chance you’ll have better luck that time around. It’s a bar that takes some guts to be a regular at, but all in all I’m glad to have it around.

Great friendly service! The bartender & servers were the best! Good quality yummy food experience.

Probably my last updated review. Even after my A-​OK ratings I went back again mainly to see a band playing there. Started with the Tempura Shrimp and Fried Pickles. That was a great start. The Pickles were good but the Shrimp was awesome. Largest and tastiest shrimp I’ve had in a long time. So far I thought my rating would go up. Then came my salad which was what I wanted so that I would eat lighter that night. It was inedible. Not just bad but inedible. The dressing tasted like somewhat dumped a pound of salt in it. I literally could not eat it. I asked my wife to try it and she said the same then. She asked them to take it back which they did.