Reviews are opinions of  individual writers and not the opinion of the entire Beacon staff or Dallastown School District. 

One of the newest additions to the York county food, South County Brewing Company, has been getting a lot of attention, but for better or worse?

Since the South County Brewing Company opened there second location in York at the beginning of 2022 people have been noting the great atmosphere, and beautiful scenery. The food on the other hand has had mixed reviews, so I decided to go and try the South County Brewery. 

The scenery and experience is the first thing people notice when driving up, and the area is surrounded by trees and shrubbery. Patrons get a sense of being out in a very rural spot, but highway 83 is right around the corner. 

Once inside the restaurant, there is a sense of fanciness with the quality and cleanliness of the interior, but it is complemented with a very homey feel by the rural setting. 

“The scenery was nice; you could see their whole brewing operation. it was really cool,” Dallastown senior Aidan Lee, said.

The one issue I have with the atmosphere is the lack of originality.

South County Brewing Company started as just a brewery in Fawn Grove, and they served no food. This was a very big project, but it showed that there was a lack of experience in the restaurant portion.

I was a part of a party of seven and the restaurant was very accommodating for larger parties.

The server was energetic and served us with a big smile. The server really tried to bring energy to the table, but he would only come over to the table when he would bring over the food or he had to be waved down. The food took a little long, but it was nothing too bad.

“I love the people that I work with, they are really good people,” a bar back at the restaurant, Mathew Borger, said. Borger is also a Dallastown student.

The food was a disappointment. I got a medium rare ribeye with fingerling potatoes. My steak came out medium well and the fingerlings were covered in rosemary. 

“The food was ok. I got a spicy chicken sandwich and it was not really that spicy,” Lee said.

One of the more popular items on the menu is the pretzel, according to Borger, so I decided to try it.

The pretzel was very soft, but it’s taste was just average. The dijon mustard was good too, but for me, the most important part of  a pretzel appetizer is the beer cheese.

This beer cheese was very bare bones. Typically  in a beer cheese recipe there is dijon mustard, yellow mustard, seasoning, cheese, and ale all mixed into a roux. The beer cheese they served tasted like a canned cheese mixed with ale, and the taste was not satisfying.

The steak was not basted nor was there any type of glaze served with it, and with the type of steak that was being served it was just bland. The only thing to compliment the steak was the potatoes, but with the amount of rosemary the fingerling potatoes tasted perfumey. 

The restaurant is beautiful, and is a great spot to see at least once. The restaurant has so much potential, and I hope in the future they can find a chef that cares more about the food that hits the table.