Please excuse my obvious lack of timing when taking the photo. Consuming the drink was clearly more important to me at the time. Hopefully my photography skills improve as we go along.
Anyway, this is Happy Valley Sports Bar in Dickson City. As you may have guessed, this is a Penn State themed sports bar, but also just a solid neighborhood spot.
The Bar
First impressions were good! I liked the atmosphere. A bit of that generic greyish everything, fake wall aesthetic that I hate, but most probably find that very clean and crisp looking. There is a nice dose of wood on the bar which warms things up some.
I expected the walls to be more loaded with Penn State memorabilia, but I’m not sure this place has even been here all that long. Doesn’t look like it. So maybe with time they will add to that.
The bar itself is a horseshoe, not my favorite as I don’t like staring at people across the bar all night, but there is a good amount of space and interference between to make it not so apparent. There is also a nice big Nittany Lion in the middle that breaks up the view.
Naturally the TVs have sports on. I was not there for a Penn State game so I’m not sure how crowded it gets typically, but it was not too busy when I was there. They also have Sunday Ticket so you can watch any game you’d like.
The Space
There is an outdoor patio that I didn’t get a look at because it was absolutely downpouring, but the pictures online look nice. There is also a banquet space for events. It appears that you can do everything from personal parties to weddings here.
The Menu
There was a solid selection of options here – the usual you would expect at a sports bar more or less. They mark their signature items with a football. I had the cauliflower pizza even though I wasn’t being gluten free at the time, and it is one of the better ones I’ve ever had! They have a nice selection of beers on tap and a full bar for any mixed drink you could want, along with drink menus.
Overall Takeaway
Overall, I liked Happy Valley Sports Bar! I would like to go back for a Penn State game, I think that would be a lot of fun. So, although it isn’t my favorite type of environment, I definitely enjoyed the food and plan to go again. Also, the service was very pleasant and attentive which is always nice!
They have a website and a Facebook page.
4 out of 6 White-Tailed Deer
