General Lafayette Inn & Brewery

It is a freak’n shame this place closed, it was one of the coolest brewpubs in the philly burbs… awesome beer and the food was pretty good.
If this brewmaster makes another apperance brewing for whoever, i will definetly be there!

Awesome live music on Saturdsy nights!!!
The raspberry wheat ale is the best new I’ve ever had!
You MUST get the Raspberry Mead Ale!
I am sad to say though that I just found out that this place is turning into a BISTRO… of all things. It’s the end of an era for this place. Luckily, they are keeping the beers on tap for 2 years.

I really wanted to like this place. I’d heard that they brewed some pretty decent beers and that the food was first rate. My wife and i stopped in yesterday around 4:00 PM, the place looked like it was deserted. The building which dates back to the 1700’s looks like it has fallen into disrepair. My wife wanted to leave after just seeing the building, I convinced her that we should at least try a beer.
We were the only customers in the place. After talking with one of the brewers we learned that the restaurant side of the business has dropped of dramatically and that in fact they are selling the restaurant and will instead concentrate on brewing. We had a few beers and sandwiches. Everything we had was «decent» nothing really stood out. I hope that after the sale the new owners pump some life back into the place. Similarly, after the brewers are free of the restaurant and are just brewing beer they will be able to ratchet it up a notch or two. For now, I would have to recommend that you pass until the dust settles.

I frequently visit the General because it is only a few blocks away from my house and offers comfortable low key dining, plus it is a microbrewery, which is a plus for my husband and I.
This place is OLD, 1700’s old! It was used as headquarters for General Lafayette during the Revolutionary War. If you visit their website you can also read some ghost stories that deal with the Inn, and the guest house. This placed is packed with history and they have done a nice job of keeping it looking like a historical landmark. Rustic fireplaces, muskets on the wall, and historical paintings hang perfectly to let you know just how old this establishment is.
The food is executed in a well thought out manner. I feel as though the executive chef wanted to take your «standard bar fare» and push it a bit farther so that it is more refined than what you would normally get. There are extra steps that have been taking to upgrade the mac and cheese, the grilled cheese, and the marquis burger from normal to creative. The produce used in all of the dishes are «Buy Fresh, Buy local» and this creates an overwhelming taste of freshness.
The brews are made on the grounds and there is something for everyone. Pale Ales, Stouts, and Porters are rotated throughout the seasons but there are also some brews that are permanently on the menu.
For a more relaxed, comfortable feel sit in the bar area. If you are looking to have a proper meal take a walk over to the dining room.
Con: they need to update their TV’s…not a great place to watch a sporting event.
Great place to go on a cold day, after work happy hour, or to casually meet up with some friends.

History lovers can appreciate this restaurant’s American colonial ambiance. Rifles hang from a wall while a fireplace crackles in determined confidence. Rustic, yet civilized.
The 10-​ounce Marquis burger is a beaut, an moist Angus patty stuffed with Asiago cheese, topped with prosciutto, provolone, a tomato, pickles, and arugula on a kaiser roll. A surprise crowd-​pleaser are the Thai mussels cooked in coconut milk, yellow curry, cilantro, lime, and jalapenos. The curry is so mouthwatering it’s tempting to drink it straight from the bowl.
Decent brews are made in-​house, from the tart to the quite quaffable. Relax with a citrusy Pacific pale ale, or venture a sip of their odd-​as-​advertised raspberry mead.
Even if you think you’re full, go for their dessert flight, portioned and priced to prevent guilt: the mini chocolate porter mousse is dreamy, and their warm apple crisp with vanilla ice cream is a devastating one-​two punch.

The amazing Marquis Burger is now the Marquis Burger Too. Instead of prosciutto and asiago, it is now topped with bacon and stuffed with cheddar. No more arugula, just lettuce and tomato. It is so noticeably less tasty that I had to drop a star. It and the fries were no longer well-​seasoned. At least the beer is still good.

Not too much has changed since my last visit. The brewery is still churning out some of the best small batch beer in the area. The atmosphere and service leave a lot to be desired.
I am writing with a new tip. Call ahead. We were hoping to take advantage of the beautiful weather and sit out on the patio. The whole first floor was closed for a rehearsal dinner. To add to our disappointment, John favorite beer, the mead, was out. We were shuffled a stuffy, loud room upstairs.
To start out, we had the homemade «pretzels» and mustard. The sauces were good, but these were little more than glorified breadsticks, and not very good ones at that. Despite my previous experience, I went ahead and ordered the burger. It was much better this time, but not incredible. It was well cooked, and made with good ingredients. The seasoning was questionable, but overall I had a decent dinner.
Bottom Line: Call ahead to make sure to check the available beers. Sitting outside is really nice in good weather. Eat before you visit, and expect shoddy service. The beer is still awesome, and I still recommend this spot.

I usually wouldn’t give a seemingly ordinary restaurant/​bar/​inn five stars, but I thoroughly enjoyed this restaurant despite being considerably under the weather.
The inside of the restaurant was simple, clean, it reminded me of a German restaurant. Exposed beams, fire in the fireplace.
I had, under the guidance of another, the Marquis Burger. This burger was closer to a homemade burger than I’d ever had. Full of grease, cheese, and garlic even the leftovers were borderline addicting. Served with well peppered fries and Heinz. Absolutely delicious.
For an appetizer we shared the cheese steak spring rolls. They were the best I’ve had in the city. At first they seemed a little expensive at $ 9, but once we got them it was obvious… they were not ordinary. A top quality cut of meat, flaky pastry dough, and a dipping sauce. The sauce was too heavy for me, I thought they were superb with out it.
In addition, the server went out of her way to attempt to find the history of the place.
In my own slightly graphic words, the food at The General Lafayette was the type of food you want to take a bite of but not swallow. It was THAT good.

Love the feel of this bar/​restaurant. Seems it was built before the Revolutionary War and the layout remains the same. Modern bars who want to go for this feel should take notes. I like the rough beams, exposed brick and the little nooks and crannies.
I’ve had the chocolate porter before in bottle and really liked it, plus it was winter, so I tried it on draft. I was a bit disappointed. Good flavor but the beer was quite flat. I think something was wrong with the tap system… I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt. Other beers I sampled from my friend’s glasses seemed good. I’d like to come back to try more ales and perhaps for the food.

I’ve been going to the General Lafayette periodically over the past 12 years and it never lets me down. First of all, the beer is very, very good. The main reasons I keep going back are for the beer and the atmosphere. It’s a great bar to hang out in when it’s cold outside (love the fireplaces) and the entire building is hundreds of years old with original woodwork still in place. I have never ordered dinner there, but the bar menu is great. Try the flatbreads, which are fantastic. Service is very friendly and there is always a knowledgable staff tending bar.
I wish they sold growlers to take the beer home, but I spoke with the owner and he will have them in the near future, so I’ll have to go back for one. They WILL fill any growler that you bring, which I thought was very cool of them to do.
Overall a great place to spend time on a cold, wintry afternoon.

General Lafayette is at the very high end of the four star category for me.
I don’t always crave it but I am never upset to go.
The beer selection is fantastic. They have a chocolate porter that I love. Also, they have some beers out of casks which is a nice treat.
The food is very good bar and grill fare. We once ordered these cheesesteak spring roll appetizers that blew my mind. My friends told me you can get them at lots of places. I guess I because I didn’t grow up in the Philly area, I can be a little overly impressed by things like that.
Bottom line: if you’re into beer and or really savory bar and grill food, it is well worth a visit.

Since I live only about a minute away, I frequently visit the General. There are a few reasons that I am a big fan:
— great beer — I really enjoy the beers brewed on site. The have a good selection, some regulars and some specials that they rotate in. I love the chocolate porter. It’s a little heavy, but perfect for a cold day.
— nice menu — the General participates in the Buy Fresh Buy Local program, so all of their produce is locally grown. I always support local agriculture (buy from farmer’s markets, etc.), so this is a plus for me. And, the food is good and creative. I love the Fish and Chips.
— pleasant staff — the bartenders and waitresses are always very nice and welcoming
— the ambiance — this structure within which the General is located is historic (probably like 1700’s). It has this great, old-​school, exposed-​beams, fireplace, muskets-​hanging-​on-​the-​wall sort of vibe. The sort of place where you want to hang out when it’s cold out and you want to warm up with a beer or 10.

On a weekend drive we dropped in on the General Lafayette Inn, a tavern up in Lafayette Hill that brews it’s own beer.
This place is OLD! It dates back from the 1700’s. With the low ceilings, small rooms divided by heavy-​timber posted doorways it seems like a great place to enjoy a warm bowl of soup tucked into one of the corner booths. This weekend however, it was sunny and 75… no soup for us!
Of course, the best part about the General Lafayette is the bar. There were a few locals enjoying pints when we seated ourselves at the long, low bar. A few other day-​trippers and locals dropped in while we were there… the place had good traffic flow for the middle of the day.
The General brews its own beers and they’re well above average. My wife enjoyed a glass of Lafayette’s Bière de Framboises. This beer is made with pounds and pounds of raspberries, which give a great aroma and tang. Mercifully, this is not a sweet frambozen lambic… just crisp clean raspberry goodness with a little effervescence.
I opted for Chocolate Thunder… a thick porter with an inky coffee & dark chocolate character.
This was a real find though… Cheesesteak Springrolls, Small slivers of steak, a little bit of cheese (Provolone maybe?) fried in a crispy pastry roll and served with Cheez Whiz dipping sauce.
See my pics above of food, drink, & atmosphere.

After a nice drive south off of the turnpike we come across an awkward intersection where the General Lafayette sits. This place has been around for a long long time (I believe it just hit its 275^th anniversary recently).
I got there on Friday around 4pm from the parking lot and I thought the place was closed. A walk past the entrance and down a dark green hallway led me to the bar where a few people were already at the bar. (See the pictures).
There was one bartender working at the moment but only a handful of people. The bartender greeted us promptly and got us beers and menus. I ordered their chicken BLT which came in ciabatta bread with a nice spicy mayo. A small step up from usual bar food but it hit the spot that afternoon.
Now for the real reason I stopped in: Their beer! They have two cask beers and about 6 – 8 other taps of their freshly brewed beer. My first was their cask Chocolate Porter which was excellent! I also gave their Pale Ale a try which was also great. I realized as I was leaving they also have a sampler so next time I’m going to be doing a flight of their beers instead.
The atmosphere at 4−5pm on Friday was very laid back. It’s a small bar with friendly people. A group of 3 were playing darts in a side room off of the bar, a couple came in and had a cocktail and a beer, and I just got off of work when I stopped in. They also had another side to the bar where a few were sitting and talking over a beer. This would be a great place to come and relax after work, if only it were closer to my house!
Some other quick facts: It’s non-​smoking, they have a full bar for those that don’t like beer, and they offer variety packs of beer to go!
The history of this place alone should make you want to at least drive by. But definitely stop in for a bite to eat and a great brew.

If you’re a fan of Pale Ales — this is your spot. Great décor and several good beers.
We started with a flight and I ended up starting with the Raspberry Mead-​Ale — which has a sweet start and a liquor-​like finish… which makes sense at 9.6%. Unfortunately I’m not a fan of Pale Ales… and wasn’t in the mood for dark beer (despite trying the amazing Chocolate Thunder Porter)… so I stuck with The Mirage for the rest of the evening.
The service was iffy at best. We had a large group but were served as though we were all sitting on our own — one drink order at a time. It made for slow service especially when she’d disappear several times during the night. The food is also hit and miss. Stay with the pub food and you should be fine. I started out with olives and a French Onion soup — both of with weren’t worth finishing… but the wings and chicken fingers were good and they have a great chicken cheese steak. I’m also told the veggie burger is good too.
Out of the way — so I’m not sure I’ll be back — but definitely worth the experience.

The only complaint I’ve ever had about this restaurant is that it wasn’t non-​smoking. But, somebody, somewhere, got my letter.
I always avoid vegi-​burgers, because they usually don’t have much flavor. But the General not only has the best vegi-​burger I’ve ever had, it’s one of the best burgers, period. As a strict carnivor, that’s a hefty statement.

(Review is for the bar — who really comes here for the food?)
Oh my goodness, the microbrews. Germantown Blonde! It’s really the only thing I order there now, since I only visit twice a year and nobody does Blonde like the General. Mere yards outside of Philadelphia city limits, this bar lets you smoke indoors, sing along with whoever’s doing covers that night, and catch up with friends.
This is one of my favorite bars ever in the history of time.

This place is just magical. This brewery was chosen for a monthly bike-​to-​a-​brewery ride that I have been participating in since the Spring. I had never heard of it before especially since I had never seen bottles of their stuff at the Foodery or other spots to obtain obscure local beer.
We were a group of 17 strong riding road bikes and fixed gears from the Art Museum to Wissahickon trail to Forbidden Drive and all the way up to the brewery. The ride up there was enough to make me happy. I kept thinking, «If I were dating a dude I would bring him up here for a bike ride and his heart would pitter-​patter!» It was gorgeous!
So we descended on the beautiful establishment covered in a film of dirt and sweat but no one working there paid any mind to what must have been a powerful post-​ride odor. In the hopes that we wouldn’t disgust other patrons we sat outside in their little but lovely courtyard. There are actually hops growing up and over the brick wall there and some of us were plucking them off the vines and plunking them into our beers. Not that the beers needed anything added but it was fun to have fresh hops around!
And now for the beer. I had the Matrimoniale, Sunset Red, and one other which I can’t remember now. With the first sip of Matrimoniale I fell head over heels for the brewery. The light citrus tones made this beer slightly sweet but not over-​powering. After finishing this pint I didn’t think it would be possible to taste anything better. I was wrong. The Sunset Red was perfect. I would order this beer just for its color but the fact that consuming it is so much better than looking at it, well, we’re talkin’ icing on the cake there!
By this point I was actually tipsy even though I was snacking on the hummus and crudités plate. But like a champ I ordered one more beer. This, like the ones before, was excellent. I’m sad that the name of it escapes me but this just means I will have to go back and hopefully sooner rather than later.
I will definitely be visiting General Lafayette Inn again. And again. Oh and probably again.

Here I sit, still blissed out from my annual imbibing of their wonderful, amazing Framboise. So please excuse any typos that my occur as a result of me drinking 3 or 4 glasses of it. I’m in a good place right now, so let’s just go with it.
It only comes out once a year, and I mark the days off on the calendar as if I were a prisoner awaiting her release date. But lo, that time has come, and I am a free woman. Free, that is, to drink the deliciousness that can only come from sipping pure alcoholic goodness made from hundreds of pounds of raspberries (my favorite thing in the world, btw).
The General Lafayette Inn Framboise is only available for a few short weeks, so if you want to experience the ecstasy that I am currently feeling, now is the hour. So get thee there immediately, Otherwise, you’re crap out of luck. And you’ll be stuck pining all year for the best drink you’ve ever had in your entire life.
5 shining, brilliant stars for this drink. 4 for the attentive service. And ³⁄₁₂ for the food, which is standard pub fare that left me ordering mac and cheese (which was just ok). But who cares… I got to drink the Framboise! It feels like my birthday, Christmas and Hanukkah all rolled into one.
Don’t be a dummy, ok? And if you go, let me know. I’ll totally be right there with you.

Nothing different really, from the other reviews. The food was hit or miss… I had a calamari appetizer and spinach salad. Neither was amazing nor terrible. I would stick with the more pub-​like fare (meat loaf/​fish and chips/​burger) and be a little more pragmatic with their higher end food offerings.
We ordered flights of pretty much every beer on the menu and the selection was full of more hits than misses. The raspberry mead was particularly good as was the Blonde. Not a huge fan of stouts, porters or, really, any dark beer, I still found their Chocolate Porter impressive. Yes, definitely go for the beer and be careful with the food.
It’s definitely dead on weeknights… or at least Wednesdays. And, I hear, you can still smoke at the bar!