Trappe Tavern

Used to have good food — came for apps and a dunch — could tell everything was frozen — shrimp mozzarella sticks… Nachos were blech — cheese wiz and chips with soup chilli on top (stewed tomato type with big celery bits) and shredded lettuce and onion meant for a sandwich. Completely down hill. Been coming here for years but think we’ll be going somewhere else…

This is the most underrated bar around. We live here and come for the cheesesteaks and cold beer. Always good local and craft brews on tap. DJ on Wednesday nights. All you can eat crabs on Monday. Ursinus College students keep it interesting but from mid-​May to mid-​August it’s just the locals. Come hang with us!

Yummy food with a fun atmosphere! Indoor and outdoor bars. They have great specials that change daily so look out for those when you go. The staff is really nice and the service is quick for the most part. Good place to go for dinner or lunch!

This place is somewhat of an enigma, and at any given moment you will find a mix of well dressed businessmen, motorcycle shit-​kickers, and every bastion of femininity at all caste levels. The deck is nice, but the bottom floor definitely has a classed up dive bar feel to it. The upstairs areas are a bit more squared away. Still, the place reeks with a certain charm that is indescribable unless you’ve actually been there.
The food is excellent. I’ve had everything from nachos to burgers to lobster dinner, and it has all been exquisite. Service, however, can range from great to downright horrific, and weekends become shit shows early.
I’d like to see more craft beer selections, but they seem to be improving this area. I guess this review boils down to, «Go for the food, you’ll likely find a good beer for any beer fan, but go early on weekends.» DO GO, however, for an experience you won’t soon forget.

My first Unilocal post… Totally deserving of a negative review. My family and I went in tonight, there were 8 of us. We totally did not expect to go in, except that my youngest sister’s basketball team had won a game that continued to advance them to the state championship game. We sat, ate, drank, had shots, celebrated, etc. I have been in the service industry for about 10 years, and am a nurse as well, which is basically the same as the service industry, add a few narcotics, so I understand the struggle waitresses go through — and I always try to help clean the table/​stack plates and hands things off, etc.
Well after we paid and left at least a 20% tip to our waitress, Erin, we began walking out when I spotted Erin in the crowd to say thank you when a male customer that she was standing there speaking/​flirting with said, «Oh, is that the terrible table that you told me about?!» to which she clearly was caught off guard, taken aback, began stuttering as I looked at her, and she said, «uh uh…» and hit her friend/​boyfriend and said, «Don’t say that to them!» Clearly, she had been speaking about how terrible of a table we were… which is EXTREMELY hard for me to believe, as we don’t demand anything, are very polite, and understanding of a service job. So either Erin was trying to gain attention from this male customer tonight, or she truly felt it, in which case she needs to get a little bit of patience for larger tables, or request to not wait on larger tables (even though that is the job she applied for), and she should probably gain a little respect for herself when flirting with boys who are willing to throw her under the bus in front of customers who leave more than decent tips at a small, local bar. We will not be returning, because it is clear that the waitresses, again mainly Erin, do not want nor appreciate larger tables who order a ton of food and alcohol on Friday nights.

Typical pub food that isn’t anything to drool over. The nightlife here is what probably keeps this place alive. Being near Ursinus College, the weekends attract a large college crowd with a fun environment. They have a fun outside «beachy» area with lights and games and you can sit at a table and eat out there too. It’s always packed though. The only downside is you’re staring at a parking lot while you’re out there and a shopping center, but hey, that’s what you’re going to get for Collegeville. The staff is always friendly and they have a decent drink selection. If you want to come without the crowds, come during the day. It’s fairly empty (or at least not packed). It is no fine dining, but the food isn’t bad. The rib sandwich is pretty good which I’d recommend, although there were a lot of fatty areas– but some people may like this! I also had a BLT that was pretty good that comes with plain chips. Prices are just average. Not sure if I’ll continue to come here for food, but I’d definitely come back for a happy hour.

I’ve had some reservations in the past about the Trappe Tavern, mostly due to it’s tacky décor and unreasonable dim lighting. However, after my husband convinced me to go a few times, I have to say it has grown on me. It gets really crowded in the evenings, so we prefer to go for lunch, but their food is reasonably priced and well portioned, and their beer selection is very good! The lack of natural light and dark wood furniture make the place really dim, even on a sunny day, however the back bar/​patio and «beach» area give you some options for some sunshine.
The first time I went was on a Friday night and that was a mistake! It was absolutely packed, both inside and out, and their weak well drinks were served in tiny plastic cups and overpriced. Finally managed to find a table that was somewhat quiet, but didn’t even bother ordering food, as it was so loud and crowded. I guess that is my fault for going on a Friday night though! If you are looking for an active, energetic environment and don’t mind waiting around for drinks, it would probably be right up your alley!
The next time I went was a Monday afternoon for lunch. It was quite a different experience! My husband and I sat at the bar and ordered burgers which were served on a kaiser roll. I got the Tavern burger with mushrooms and onion. Very good. Their burgers are served with chips, although I would have preferred fries. Something to note: the «hot» peppers that they reference on their menu are actually just banana peppers, not jalapenos, which was a little disappointing.
Their beer is cold and there is a decent selection. I ordered a Bloody Mary which was awful — nothing added to it but some bottled mix and vodka. I was assured that it had been «doctored up», but I still needed to add Tabasco, salt and pepper to give it any bite. The bartender was attentive and friendly, but gave us our space and didn’t hover, despite us being one of the only parties at the bar. No complaints about the service!
Overall, it is what you would expect from a small town tavern. Will definitely be back… but not on a Friday night!

Nice place waitresses are great. Good prices for the amount of food you get. They have the best Italian hoagie. The chicken stirfry was very good also

The Trappe, since I’ve started going ten years ago, has been the perfect example of «if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.» The food has stayed the same, with awesome cheesesteak, wings, etc. The prices have stayed extremely reasonable, especially given the amount of food you get. The environment has stayed relaxed and comfortable, with a crowd that, given the time you go, ranges from families, to college kids, to a local crowd, and to disagree with a recent review, I’ve always found the service generally very fast and attentive, and actually more friendly than it was six or seven years ago.
One of the best parts… like a faithful old, reliable friend, the Trappe is always open… blizzard, hurricane, zombie apocalypse… the Trappe never closes early, and has the kitchen going until the end.
You may want to avoid nights when the college kids swarm a bit (late Friday’s and Saturdays during the semesters).
Make sure to try the prime rib, French onion soup, and any bar food (cheesesteaks, wings, mozzarella sticks).
I great local, consistent place to grab a cold beer, watch a game, and enjoy good food.

Catfish special was out of this world! We are here one or two times a week and request Jess as our waitress… Couldn’t be anymore impressed with her outstanding and attentive service. Will continue to come weekly

Been going their off and on for 15 years. Food has always been good and never had a problem with service. Love the prime rib. I’ve yet to find a place that has prime rib as good as here. Prices here are better than most around.

Back in the day… From 2003 — 2007, it was great! We even had our wedding reception there. The service is now very slow and the food is decent. The cheesesteaks and onion soup are excellent but the people are rude and again the service is s l o w. Wish it was like it use to be. I live around the corner and only go when the weather is nice and want to sit outside. That is not very often.

Enjoying the «beach «having drinks with my friend with my toes in the sand! Life is good!

I want to like this place. I love that they have all you can eat crab legs on Mondays. But that’s pretty much where it starts and ends. We’ve been here many times because it’s close and for some reason I seem to forget in between trips, that I don’t particularly care for the food. I have never had anything here that has «wow’ed» me. The nachos are godawful with that fake cheese sauce. Rest is just run of the mill bar food, run of the mill being a generous description. I wish they’d revamp this menu or at least the recipes or methodology behind the current menu.

I liked this place. Food was decent bar type food and reasonably priced. Had a nice hometown feel and an outdoor deck. I only wish they would’ve had more beer selection as there weren’t as many as I expected. Overall a nice place to hang out they even had a band.

Seen better days. At one time (early 90s) it was my favorite bar; they had good beer on tap and great wings. Not so anymore, slackers for bartenders, bad food, don’t think they keep their beer lines clean… gone downhill.

Went here for lunch the other afternoon with friends and they completely just nickel and dime the place. There is a charge for everything, pickles? $ 0.50 Onions? Another $ 0.50. No refills, only on there new ice tea machine do they give refills. Our food was average at best, was really disappointed! We used to love coming here, just recently it went downhill.

Friendly local pub and restaurant. Sit upstairs for a brighter less of a bar atmosphere. Day waitresses are great. Love the prime rib sandwiches. They could step up their salad beyond iceberg and veg options. Lose the tacky fake beach outside and make it something like a garden terrace.

If this place was located in Center City, I’d probably give it two stars. But considering that this place is out in the middle of nowhere, it’s probably one of your better options for the area.
We were out this way to attend a HS basketball game and needed a quick dinner. My husband had «heard ads for this place on sports radio» and wanted to check it out. Upon arriving, we were surprised how packed this place was. Granted, it was the Saturday night before Christmas and the Eagles were playing, so this may have been a fluke, but we saw it as a good omen for our meal there.
I had the prime rib sandwich (I want to say it was called a Wranger Jr– slice of prime rib with Cajun spices, bacon and cheese). I was pleasantly surprised with the sandwich– I didn’t know what to expect with «sliced prime rib», but it was pretty good. And for $ 8, it was a fairly priced meal.
Fellow Unilocalers have complained about service, but we had a good waitress who didn’t mind that we sat there for an extra half hour to watch the game (without buying any more food/​drinks).
I can’t say how often I’ll be back out this way, but I’ll keep this place in mind if I am!

Would be 4 or 5 if the servers were on the ball, knew the menu and knew when a cocktail was not made to specifications.
That said its a nice bar restaurant for a quick bite and the many times I’ve had the prime rib it’s been devine!