Central PA Sports Bars: Al's of Hampden
During the course of the NFL season, DSB will walk you through the best and worst places in Central PA to catch all of the games on a Sunday afternoon. Every week we will be reviewing where the DSB editors (and various guest stars) spent the better part of our day. We will be judging the locations on four criteria with a 1 (bad) to 10 (great) scale for each. Hopefully, this will help our loyal local readers find the best places to spend your Sunday afternoons.
If there are any restaurateurs or bar managers out there interested in their establishment appearing here, please contact us at EditorsDSB@gmail.com.
This week's cast of characters: Bearcat, ZJ, PJH, and Plain White TS
With a smaller contingent of attendees than usual, this week we gathered at Al’s of Hampden, located at the corner of Wertzville and Valley Roads in Enola. We’ve been to Al’s plenty of times before and even plugged it on a podcast or two, but this is the first official DSB review of the place. For those not in the know, Al’s of Hampden is an independently-owned pizza place with a mammoth variety of beer.
TVs/View: 7
Though Al’s displays only four large flat-panel HDTVs, the TVs are hooked up to DirectTV and in straight-on view from most seats. Views are not obstructed from any seat; however, there are two tables and a booth along the wall under the TVs that encourage general neck soreness. As is the case with just about every establishment on Sundays, the earlier you arrive, the better off you are. The staff is open to requests for which game you’d like to see and go out of their way to accommodate you.
Beer: 10
This is what Al’s is famous for. In addition to 13 revolving taps of (mostly) hard-to-find craft beers and microbrews, Al’s stocks a wallop of beer options. Domestics, imports, crafts, and microbrews can all be found in six-packs, 12-packs, and even singles. The DSB delegation typically rotates through different selections each round so as to further expand their knowledge, palates, and waistlines. A few selections from this past Sunday included: Big Eye Sculpin (#2 rated IPA according to Beer Advocate); Abita Restoration Pale Ale; longtime DSB-favorite Bell’s Two Hearted Ale; and Green Flash West Coast IPA.
Food: 9
Well, it is a pizza shop, so Bearcat and I initially split a pepperoni pizza … and by "split" I mean that I ended up with only about a third of the pie. Later, PJH spotted some slices under the glass that were going by the name Game Day Pizza; these slices were covered in hamburger, cheese wiz, and french fries, and they were fantastic. The owner later told us that they make a different Game Day Pizza every Sunday with unusual toppings, the idea being to try unusual combinations that hopefully tie in to one of the big games. Al’s also has a nice variety of food other than pizza, including the highly-recommended sausage ‘n peppers.
Other/Miscellaneous: 6
Because Al’s is more pizza shop than bar, seating is limited and the tables are on the small side. There is no Wi-Fi available and some of the unattached single guys with us complain about the lack of women around, save for the occasional soccer mom that drops by to pick up her family’s to-go order. I say the good food, friendly atmosphere, and massive beer selection trump any negatives here, and always look forward to spending a Sunday at Al’s of Hampden.
Overall: 32 out of 40
Scorecards to Date (out of 40):
Al's of Hampden 32
Skybox Sports Bar 31
Dockside Willie's 21
The Grille of Hampden 15
Sam Bucca's 11
Thanks for coming and suckling Daddy's Sugar Ball...
If there are any restaurateurs or bar managers out there interested in their establishment appearing here, please contact us at EditorsDSB@gmail.com.
This week's cast of characters: Bearcat, ZJ, PJH, and Plain White TS
With a smaller contingent of attendees than usual, this week we gathered at Al’s of Hampden, located at the corner of Wertzville and Valley Roads in Enola. We’ve been to Al’s plenty of times before and even plugged it on a podcast or two, but this is the first official DSB review of the place. For those not in the know, Al’s of Hampden is an independently-owned pizza place with a mammoth variety of beer.
TVs/View: 7
Though Al’s displays only four large flat-panel HDTVs, the TVs are hooked up to DirectTV and in straight-on view from most seats. Views are not obstructed from any seat; however, there are two tables and a booth along the wall under the TVs that encourage general neck soreness. As is the case with just about every establishment on Sundays, the earlier you arrive, the better off you are. The staff is open to requests for which game you’d like to see and go out of their way to accommodate you.
Beer: 10
This is what Al’s is famous for. In addition to 13 revolving taps of (mostly) hard-to-find craft beers and microbrews, Al’s stocks a wallop of beer options. Domestics, imports, crafts, and microbrews can all be found in six-packs, 12-packs, and even singles. The DSB delegation typically rotates through different selections each round so as to further expand their knowledge, palates, and waistlines. A few selections from this past Sunday included: Big Eye Sculpin (#2 rated IPA according to Beer Advocate); Abita Restoration Pale Ale; longtime DSB-favorite Bell’s Two Hearted Ale; and Green Flash West Coast IPA.
Food: 9
Well, it is a pizza shop, so Bearcat and I initially split a pepperoni pizza … and by "split" I mean that I ended up with only about a third of the pie. Later, PJH spotted some slices under the glass that were going by the name Game Day Pizza; these slices were covered in hamburger, cheese wiz, and french fries, and they were fantastic. The owner later told us that they make a different Game Day Pizza every Sunday with unusual toppings, the idea being to try unusual combinations that hopefully tie in to one of the big games. Al’s also has a nice variety of food other than pizza, including the highly-recommended sausage ‘n peppers.
Other/Miscellaneous: 6
Because Al’s is more pizza shop than bar, seating is limited and the tables are on the small side. There is no Wi-Fi available and some of the unattached single guys with us complain about the lack of women around, save for the occasional soccer mom that drops by to pick up her family’s to-go order. I say the good food, friendly atmosphere, and massive beer selection trump any negatives here, and always look forward to spending a Sunday at Al’s of Hampden.
Overall: 32 out of 40
Scorecards to Date (out of 40):
Al's of Hampden 32
Skybox Sports Bar 31
Dockside Willie's 21
The Grille of Hampden 15
Sam Bucca's 11
Thanks for coming and suckling Daddy's Sugar Ball...
Well put ZJ. Who would think a place like that would have such a plethera of fine ales to choose from.
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Pepe...would you say I have a plethora of pinatas?
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El Guapo lives! Nice three Amigos reference!
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Haha! Now if you start singing 'My Little Buttercup.', I'm really gonna be worried.
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Pepe... do you know what a plethora is?
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mTUmczVdik I can't resist now that this has started. Ha!
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Now this place has good chicken fingers as well.
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