Edinboro Hotel Bar

The oldest eating and drinking establishment in Edinboro, The Edinboro Hotel Bar is “The Bar” for townies, Edinboro Lake vacationers and those visiting for special occasions like weddings, reunions and college sorority weekends. The downtown Edinboro watering hole with landmark status has 16 beers on tap (including local favorite Lavery), bottle beers, local wines and a full bar, and it also serves up favorites like burgers, seafood, steak and wings, with live music on the weekends.

Not many eateries can do such a variety of plates well. The menu is strong, from its “almost-famous” Reuben on fresh marble rye piled high with corned beef and fresh sauerkraut to roasted red pepper and smoked gouda soup to seared pepper ahi tuna to beef stroganoff to gluten-free pizza to strawberry and feta grilled chicken salad to desserts like funnel fries and chocolate volcano cake.

It’s the kind of menu you can plan your week around: Yuengs & Wings on Mondays, Italian meal specials on Tuesdays, Pizza and Boneless Wing Wednesdays, Steak Night on Thursdays, Fish Fry Fridays (featuring Yuengling-battered cod) — all delicious, and all for a steal. On the second Tuesday of every month, the super-popular cook-to-order pasta bar features four different pastas and sauces with chicken, meatballs, shrimp and sausage, from 5 to 8 p.m.

Owner Pat Hargest holds a history degree from the local university, so it seems the stars aligned for him to own and operate a landmark building. The building’s lack of right angles creates a distinctive façade that’s been featured in the sitcom “The Neighborhood,” in the Hallmark movie “Sweeter Than Chocolate” and even in the video montage in John Cougar Mellencamp’s performance of “Small Town” at the 2023 Farm Aid concert (around the two-minute mark).

But Hargest knows it’s the history on the inside that matters most. “So many times I’ve overheard people say, ‘I met my wife in that booth …’ or ‘I met my husband on the dance floor …’ Hargest said. The bar is also a Steelers Bar (Ben Roethlisberger has visited there, memorialized by the framed jersey on the wall), so you can bet that many a memory has been made on NFL Sundays. And since there is ample space for every celebration under the sun, the bar handles everything from rehearsal dinners and retirement parties, to jack and jills and wakes, and even caters weddings at Port Farms in Waterford.

Hargest gives credit to his manager, Cru, and his dedicated staff for the bar’s success. There’s even an option on the menu to buy the kitchen staff a 6-pack for $12. Hargest is also a cheerleader for the college, the high school, local government and his fellow local businesses. He partners with Flip Cafe across the street so cafe customers can order and enjoy mimosas and bloody Marys at his bar while they wait for their table at Flip. “I support the community every chance I get because they support me,” he said. “We’re all in this together.”

The Edinboro Hotel Bar is open daily from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Happy Hour is Monday-Thursday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., and Friday from 5 p.m. to 7 p,m. Nightly drink specials go from 10 p.m. to midnight, along with the late-night kitchen menu.

Call 814-734-5103 for more information on catering options or private parties.