It was a rough winter of record lows and ghostly looking cars buzzing on the streets encased with salt. Our car was no different, so encrusted with salt you could barely see out the windows. We needed to find a car wash pronto before our car’s innards rusted and crumbled behind us. In our search we took a side road, Old Philadelphia Pike. We had never been down this street before and that’s when we spotted an old hotel with a red neon sign reading: The Belmont Inne. Under the glowing sign, there was a quaint country themed porch with rocking horses and patriotic pallets.

Walking into the Belmont Inne you can tell most patrons are regulars as they order “the usual” or tease one another. This can be intimidating as a newbie, but it wasn’t, not in the least bit. Upon sitting at the bar, owner Kim greeted us, asked our names, and continued to remember them throughout the night. Kim also introduced us to her co-owner and husband, Gino. He told us how for many years he worked in construction and decided to change paths and invested in the bar. You could tell they invested more than just money in the bar, but also time to breed an environment for people to come to relax after a long day at work – have a pint, a bite to eat, and enjoy some quick witted humor.

One prime example of looking to breed a certain type of environment was that any food you order comes served on a “real” plate. They do not use paper plates. Gino pointed this out to us. He said that when people come to eat after work it may be the only cooked dinner they may have that day and they deserve to have a real dinner on a real plate. Speaking of food, let’s get to that.

 Their menu is bar type food – burgers, cheese steaks, fries, etc. The cheeseburger was cooked to perfection and gooey with cheese. On Thursdays they also have clams! Their specials can be seen below:

A second example of breeding a certain type of environment is familiarity and inside jokes.  If you go, ask about the shirts hanging behind the bar.  One reads, “Howdy for Mayor” and the other, “Do You Want Fruit with That?”.  Close to the t-shirts is a gong that quarters will be thrown at – watch out!  On some hopping-nights inflatable microphones will be passed out and some of the regulars will belt out Patsy Cline classics.

Since the bar used to be a old hotel, ask Gino for a tour!  The Belmont Inne has an upstairs room with pool tables and gorgeous stained glass pieces over the doorways.  The third floor is a dance room and eventual banquet room.

In trying to find history on the Inne, a great comment was found on The El Vee by Nancy Polek relating the bar to the show Cheers where jeans and flannel are welcome.  This commenter also hit the nail on the head saying how Gino was looking to run a simpler bar as opposed to the more pricey or trendier alternatives in the Valley. This place is simpler, which makes it fantastic.  It is a breath of fresh air, a neighborhood bar with a friendly, homey atmosphere where even if you are a newbie you feel at home, as Gino drags you up to learn line dancing with other customers.

Other perks:

• Digital jukebox
• Free off-street parking behind building