The Pineville Tavern

Thank God I'm a Country Girl!

Due to circumstances out of my control, (those mainly having to do with my boyfriend's social life, post-high school in Moorestown, NJ) I spend a lot of time in South New Jersey. On farms. It occurred to me recently that I have been on more farms since I moved to Philly than I had been on in my entire childhood in North Carolina. And you guys. I went to a college that had its own farm and agriculture school. How's about that for irony? So when I found myself out in the country again the other day to pay a visit to Peddler's Village in sprawling Bucks County to see their Christmas Light display, I realized that the second bar I was going to visit for my tour of Philadelphia Magazine's Best Bars List was going to be in...the country.
After we had our fill of yule tide charm, it was off to the Pineville Tavern, where according to the sign on the side of the building "history never tasted so good."

Here's what Philadelphia Magazine had to say about the Pineville Tavern, located at Route 413, Pineville, PA 18946. Just don't ask me how to get there.

The place was built in 1742, and it still feels like if you squint just right, you can see Ben Franklin and George Washington hoisting tankards in the corner—only without all the cheesy Disney World fakeness of drinking at City Tavern.

As I mentioned, I don't hate a theme. But in this case, Philly Mag has it right. Having had a drink at the City Tavern, I can confirm it to be a decently obnoxious place to get a drink due to the cutesy costuming and swarms of guided tourist groups. Pineville Tavern had the charm of the 18th Century without the cheesy vibe.

Having escaped the exponentially colder-than-Philly temps of Bucks County for the cozy entrance of the Pineville Tavern, we saddled up to an empty bar on a Sunday around 9. It was cozy. But any coziness was not provided by the bartenders or design of the place. It was just a warm little old bar with no bells or whistles. Apart from us and the bartenders, there were a few regulars at the U shaped bar, across the room (ps: I love u shaped bars). Like I said, cozy, unassuming.

I ordered a glass of house wine (not the place to be choosey on wine selection) and my boyfriend ordered a Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale. Their draft menu was a decent seasonal selection of about seven craft beers, including some local breweries, which is the other way to my heart. I ordered a Cowboy Burger (cheddar, bacon and bbq sauce) and settled in. Eventually, I switched to a Sly Fox Christmas Ale. Delicious. Lots of hints of what you'd find in mulled wine, it was appropriately Christmasy without being too heavy on deep spices. When my burger came, I was pretty impressed. Juicy, and smothered in bbq and sharp cheddar, I downed it happily.

We closed down the bar at 10, along with the regulars, who all milled around long after close with the waitresses who had just finished their shifts, and lined up for their own drinks at the bar along with us.

I had a good time, and it was a nice cozy couple of drinks and a great burger, and if you're in this neck of Bucks County, I say stop by and give it a shot. If you're in Philly and you're looking for the same, I'd have to say there are plenty of cozy, even towny, bars to choose from, so the trip out may not be totally necessary.

Maybe I'm not a country girl...my arbitrary grade assignment for Pineville Tavern is a C+. If I lived in, say, Pineville, I'd give it a B+.