Barrel 21 Distillery and Dining

I’ve been here twice and I had a similar experience both times. The food is amazing, the drinks are wonderful – but, the service feels rushed. I made a reservation both times I’ve been here (once for my birthday and once for no specific occasion). Despite this, the service felt rushed and not up to par with the quality of the food and the “upscale” dining experience. For example, our server brought our food out while we were still eating our charcuterie appetizer. This actually happened both times we dined here. They asked twice to take it out of our way while we were still eating. Overall, we were in and out within an hour. As someone who has worked in hospitality, it felt like they were trying to flip our table and didn’t care about the quality of our dining experience. However, the food makes up for this every time because it is phenomenal. I had the mushroom cavatappi & my partner had the barrel burger. They’re very inclusive and have vegetarian and gluten free options. Highly recommend the food!

Their Sunday Brunch Buffet is amazing! Almost all the items were gluten free and cinsidering I have Celiac disease. Brandon chef was sooooo attentive to our dietary needs. He even brought us a special flourless chocolate cake just for us. Food was superb, waitress Carly was extremely nice and attentive. Ate so much from the buffet had no room.for the omelette station. Potato gouda soup was to die for. Best brunch in State College hands down!