Restaurant Review: Westgate Pub

Restaurant:

Address: 1021 W. Chester Pk., Havertown, PA 19083 
Rating: (3 out of 5 stars): ★★★
Style: Pub food with Italian and seafood dishes as well
Food: Decent
Atmosphere: Neighborhood pub
Parking: Difficult
Service: Friendly and casual
Price Range: Affordably priced
Unique Features: Excellent beer selection (over 90 varieties), extensive menu (pub fare, American, Italian and seafood dishes)

I was feeling particularly stressed out the other night but one step into the brightly lit and I immediately felt better. The atmosphere is friendly and welcoming. People come in to have a beer, enjoy a meal or simply to watch the game. My friend and I were told to sit “wherever you’d like” and we grabbed a cozy table in the corner.

The menu is extensive to say the least. There are more than 90 beers to choose from and a huge place mat/menu with all the kitchen offerings printed in 5-point font (so that it can all fit on one sheet of paper). We started off with a Flying Fish and Blue Moon. The Flying Fish was slightly bitter, crisp and wonderfully refreshing. The Blue Moon was light and easy drinking. My friend had never tried wheat beer and enjoyed it very much.

We started off with the steamed mussels in red sauce which were ok. The mussels didn’t taste very fresh although the sauce was pleasing. We were presented with a basket filled with garlic bread which we dipped into the tomato sauce. The garlic bread was savory and crunchy.

For our entrees we had the BBQ ribs with a salad and side of rigatoni and the cheeseburger. The salad was a fine example of a house salad with iceberg lettuce, green bell peppers, chick peas, black olives, tomatoes, cucumber and croutons. They have almost every dressing you could possibly want and the creamy peppercorn dressing was a good choice.

The BBQ ribs were tasty but could have been a bit more tender. A true testament to the quality of a rib is if it’s fall off the bone tender. These ribs still stuck a bit to the bone but were enjoyable nonetheless.

The crock of warmed BBQ sauce was a nice touch and we both savored the sweet, slightly smoky and satisfying BBQ sauce. The side of rigatoni was a touch overcooked and featured the same pleasant tomato sauce that appeared with the mussels.

The burger though nicely cooked (a beautiful pink center) came with cheese Whiz and not actual cheddar cheese. As a Philly native, I do love my cheese fries made with Whiz but it’s not what I want on a burger. I wish my server had clarified that it was made with Whiz and not an actual slice of cheese.

The Le Bus bun, generous slices of juicy tomato, romaine lettuce and sweet onion were stellar burger components.  I ate most of the fairly tasty burger. The French fries were unbelievably crisp and had a wonderful potato flavor. They were so good that my friend had them wrapped up so she could enjoy them later.

The service at Westgate Pub is incredibly warm and friendly. Everyone who came to our table was so pleasant. Our server was genuinely nice. Our dirty plates were cleared immediately, food came out quickly, requests were answered efficiently and we were never bothered.

It was a casual and laid back dinner. While the food is not the best you will ever try, the beer list is quite impressive and the service is good. More importantly, you feel welcome in this environment. Westgate Pub is an ideal after work destination, a great place to just hang out.