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- Hours:
Tue-Fri 4 pm - 2 am
Sat-Sun 12 pm - 2 am
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Music:
- Live
- Best Nights:
- Fri, Thu, Sat
- Happy Hour:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- Outdoor Area/ Patio Only
- Coat Check:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Very Loud
- Good For Dancing:
- No
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
9 reviews for Backyard Ale House
9 reviews in English
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Review from Kunal P.
2/21/2012
This has become the standard place to hang out and gather up old friends whenever I pop into town for the past year or so. 9 out of 10 times, I've was here during the happy hour times. And, its been a much more pleasant experience than any of the other local joints.
So, keep it up BAH!!! -
Review from Michelle C.
Philadelphia, PA
10/9/2011 3 Check-ins Here
What's not to love about Backyard Ale House? Why all the lackluster reviews? It's Scranton, for crying out loud. There is not a whole lot going on and BAH is about the only must-visit place every time we hit the area to visit my sister and her boyfriend.
I agree with one of the other yelpers that the staff is a little clueless when it comes to the beer. But it can work to your advantage. Yesterday I scored a Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin ale for somewhere around five bucks and it was served to me in a pint glass. That's an 8% beer. Score! A Franziskaner Heffeweisen went for $4.50 (it was served in the appropriate glassware).
Besides the pretty solid draft list, the bottle selection is ridiculously diverse. It's up there with the likes of Philly's more respectable beer bars. The bottle prices are harder to figure out. There's some straight deals and some have you scratching your head wondering where they came up with their numbers. No matter, there's such a huge selection that you can easily come up with a plan B.
On at least two of the times we've visited, we've eaten for free or at a very low cost. This weekend, we paid ten bucks a head and enjoyed beer tastings, a full-on pig roast and ten raffle tickets for a bunch of cool beer baskets.
There's no smoking indoors, the patio is awesome and the bathrooms are always clean. Win win win.Listed in: Scranton Spots, Beer Gardens
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Review from Shelley P.
Kingston, PA
5/29/2011 1 Check-in Here
The Ale House is a decent bar. If you're looking for the college bar scene, try here. It's right next to U of Scranton.
If you've never been here, you probably wouldn't know there's a huge patio in the back. Even if it rains, there's a portion of the patio that's covered so you can still have a good time outdoors.
If I was closer to the Scranton area, I would come back. -
Review from Mike V.
Scranton, PA
10/23/2011
Eh, nothing to write home about... Better than the other bars in the area, kidares, traxx, etc. but that's not saying much.
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Review from Scott B.
New York, NY
11/29/2008 2 photos
Backyard Ale House opened in the space right next to Tinks.
The scene is mostly college kids with a few older folks as well. This is definitely a place for the beer connoisseur. They have about 10 beers on tap as well as several dozen bottle beers. If you're not into beer they also a pretty wide selection of liquors and martinis as well... Even though they were packed the bartenders seemed pretty chill and attentive.
One pretty cool thing about this is the layout... there is the bar area in the front with seating along the walls and a few huge LCD TV's but the have an outdoor section as well. This was essentially set up as a big tent in their backyard. The tent is heated and smoking is allowed back there. So as not to have you feeling 'let out in the cold' they actually have two beer stands serving beer back there... not only Coors Light but surprisingly Magic Hat. It looks as though this section might be unfinished and will be a completed party deck by spring time.
We didn't stay long, but enjoyed while we were there... will definitely go back.
The one criticism about this place would have to be the mixed drink I ordered... I expected the club soda to be from a tap and not a warm 1 liter bottle sitting behind the bar. Doesn't make for the best mixed drinks, but oh well what do expect from a full on ale house. -
Review from The Meepers G.
Scranton, PA
Updated - 12/7/2009
Well it has come to my attention that it has been a year sense my review of the Ale House. I would like to revisit this review and give a bit of an update. I will start my review of the tent. My last visit to the Ale House was a about 2 months ago, while it was still warm out. The tent has been removed and the patio has been nicely remolded. I have been informed that a brand new tent. I'll have to make a trip in to see the patio, but that may still be hard for me to do. Along the wall the borders Tinks, a is the bar area. The bar area is very nice, and the glowing stand up cooler of beer does seem to call my name, but this is where my problem come back in. But we still need to discus the patio first.
As you may or may not know, the patio use to be Tinks Tiki Bar. And there is a tree planted on said patio. Well, the tree was and still is painted like a totem pole. This is very tacky. Now I am not one for high brow establishments, but a painted totem pole in an Ale House, that is just wrong. This needs to be taken care of.
OK, on to the beer. Their selection has grow sense my initial review, and I feel they can now honestly call themselves and Ale House. But the prices have not seemed to change, at least for the positive. The prices are still high. This is the one of two things keeping me from walking through those doors again, would you like to know the other thing? OK, I'll tell you, the wait staff has not improved one bit.
I was with a group of 4 people, myself included. The rest of the patio had no more than 4 other people at any given point. With no more than 6 people at the patio bar at once, I still managed to wait for 10 minutes to get an over priced beer. The bartenders seemed to more apt to talk to themselves than to wait on me. i know it can get boring, but 10 minutes with that few amount of people is unacceptable. I am normally a good tipper, on this night I kept my tip money and used it to pay the extra $1 each beer seemed to cost over every other good beer bars in the area.
But I'll end this on a positive note, they have defiantly improved in decor and selection. In my book, they have a long way to go, but they have only been open a year.
Previous review from 12/1/09: 2 stars
This was not at all what i had hoped for it to be. the name is very deceiving. it is not an Ale House. with only about 8-10 beers on tap and a very selective bottle list, you fail at being an Ale house. If you want to pay a cover to freeze your ass off on the "Deck," Tink's old patio with a shabby tent put up and a very weak heating system, feel free. it felt like they were just venting an exhaust fan from inside to heat the "Deck." and well i spent half the night freezing.
This place was better off staying gay bar. you got serve red right away, the people were friendly, and no sick-O, i am not talking about a perverted way. the clientele were generally really nice people. and who didn't like a whole wall with a mural of guys in leather chaps.
The Backyard Ale House fails for me.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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12/1/2008
This was not at all what i had hoped for it to be. the name is very deceiving. it is not an Ale… Read more »
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Review from Jason S.
Old Forge, PA
11/7/2010
Great summer happy hour spot. The location is convenient and they have a huge beer selection. The outside bar gets packed on weekends, but is less so during weekday happy hour and they often have free food. The staff is friendly and there is an interesting mix of clientele.
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Review from Herbert G.
Scranton, PA
1/8/2011
Great beer selection but the staff sucks. Are they bartenders or bouncers? Their backyard patio is great but they get too young of a crowd and they pack way too many people in it... the inside is very small and the acoustics aren't that great for a band. However, they don't rape you on cover charges like other places...this is a big college student bar...get there early and enjoy your time before it gets packed.
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Review from Brian L.
Scranton, PA
4/28/2010
Loads of beer options, friendly bartenders and a great outside bar that's closed in kinda thing that i believe opens when it's nice out. You'll prolly hear some clown playin acoustic guitar and playin covers his voice will prolly sound like an irish Eddie Vedder, but that's pretty much every bar in Scranton except The Bog. Overall a good time though. Gem place!
