Café 210 West

210 West College Avenue

Café 210 is a Penn State tradition.  While the tree-lined streets of West College Avenue have seen many of its surrounding establishments turnover from one business to the next, Café 210 and its patron-filled patio is a constant in Happy Valley.

The Café continues serving up great food and cheap drinks during their happy hour, especially on Fridays from 6:00-8:00pm, featuring $5.50 Yuengling pitchers, $5.00 Miller Lite pitchers and skillet fries.  For those of you visiting Happy Valley or The Café itself for the first time, sampling a Café Classic is a must.

In 1983 Café 210 introduced their first Café Tea.  In 1991 they enhanced their traditional tea with new flavors like blueberry, watermelon, strawberry, mango, peach, and the crowd favorite Long Island.  Since then, the Café has served up over a half a million teas to patrons who keep coming back for more.

In addition, the Café has also put a lot of thought and effort into compiling a menu that has a little bit of everything without compromising on quality ingredients.  Wraps, wings, grinders and soups are just a few of the items that will hit the spot while listening to the sounds of the local nightly entertainment.

You can hear the sounds of the J.R., James and Natalie, a true State College collaboration, every Friday (6:00-8:00pm) and Saturday (10:30pm), but a word to the wise…get there early.  J.R. and Natalie have built up quite the cult following within the city limits.

J.R. Mangan, guitarist/singer, has been a part of the State College music scene for over 22 years.  He is accompanied by Natalie Berrena, the latest vocalist in a long line of talented ladies gracing the State College stages.  Also joining J.R. and Natalie are guitarist Mark Toci, James Miller playing bass, and Dana Hawk beating the drums.  This group is one that shouldn’t be missed.

But don’t plan on getting to the Café too late, tables on the patio fill up extremely early, especially on a football weekend with alumni kicking back and students cutting afternoon classes to start the weekend celebration early.  Don’t be afraid to make your way through the multi-level restaurant and to the bar yourself, sometimes that gets you served faster than waiting at your table patiently as you watch other people sip their drinks.

Many don’t know it, but Cafe 210 has a small back patio with a backyard feel.  It is spacious enough to seat about 50 of your closest friends and is shaded from the last bits of afternoon sun by a large maple tree.