PLYMOUTH MEETING, PA - We recently went on a lunch trip to check out the new Little Brew House. Located on Ridge Pike in the former Maria's Pizza and Pasta location, Little Brew House opened in September of 2021 and is a new venture from long-time owners who recently launched their hip new menu featuring some bar food favorites and local brews.
The exterior looks very similar to when it was Maria's with white stucco and the side entrance located at the top of the ADA ramp. There is a new outdoor seating area featuring 3 tables which can seat 6 people each and this area is now partially fenced in with a small grassy area for little ones to explore. Our server informed us they will be adding some oversized outdoor games in the spring as well. Once you enter the doors you will be greeted by an entirely new interior. The grey walls and reclaimed-like floors give a modern, clean and hip feel to the space. The space is modest in size with a handful of tables available for dine-in. The counter/serving area is smaller than it was under Maria's and includes additional seating at the bar for about 4-5 people. Most of the seating on the main floor are bar stools, however, there are 2 table-height 4 tops available on the first come first serve basis.
The menu is streamlined compared to what Maria's offered to allow for quicker food service and scaled-down ingredients. You will find some bar food favorites like wings and fries mixed in with a few burgers and salad options. You can view their full menu here.
For our lunch, we went with wings, chicken cheesesteak, and a beer flight to share. The wings were perfectly cooked and covered in the house-made buffalo sauce which has blue cheese mixed in. The blue cheese was the perfect addition as it did not overpower the sauce but complimented it nicely. The wings smelled so good I dipped my first wing before I even remembered I needed a picture.
The cheesesteak was also perfectly cooked, not dry at all with an appropriate amount of American cheese and fried onions mixed in. The roll was fresh and delicious as well making this sandwich a strong recommendation on the menu.
The beers featured at Little Brew House are from two local breweries which give the menu an extra taste of local. Currently featured are Von C. Brewing out of Norristown and Bald Birds out of Audobon. We sampled 4 Bald Bird brews for our flight as pictured below. Overall they were solid beers and paired well with the meal.
For the Von C Brews we sampled the Vienna Lager and Walking on Clouds. Walking on Clouds is a delicious Hazy IPA with a nice citrus taste and Vienna Lager is a dark lager with an Octoberfest taste. Both beers are on the recommended list.
There is an upstairs space that is still finishing renovations but will open shortly.
Outdoor Seating:
Limited outdoor seating is available in the form of 3 picnic-style tables you can snag. There is a small fence separating you from the parking lot. There are better outdoor spots that are more comfortable to "hang out" however we were told more improvements to that area are coming in the spring.
Family Friendliness:
Overall, you could bring kids here but you have to get one of the 2 tables available. The barstool seating is just not that accomodating to the family. Add to the fact the barstools do not have backs to them makes it even harder for kids to tag along if they are not in their own car seat or infant carrier. The outdoor seating is family-friendly, the tables are available, grass for the kids to play in if they wish and the area is partially fenced in to keep the kids contained.
Overall Recommendation:
Our overall recommendation is "Must Try" for Little Brew House. This neat new addition to the local eatery scene is like nothing else we have around here. The small size of this place gives it a small brewpub start-up feel, complemented with a high-quality quick bar type food menu makes it even more special. Add the additional space upstairs and I see this as an awesome place to go grab a beer for guys/gals' night out.
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Please note, at the time of this review Little Brew House was not a paid advertiser on our site. The meal was purchased and not provided or given in exchange for a review of any kind.
