Runaway Train Brewhouse & Saloon is a craft brewpub that opened in Honesdale, Pennsylvania in August 2023. It was founded by business partners Vince Benedetto, Justin Genzlinger, Joe Napoli, and Greg Pollock. Genzlinger is the CEO of the Settlers Hospitality Group while Benedetto is the founder and CEO of the Bold Gold Media Group. The two decided to team up when they saw that the space originally occupied by Irving Cliff Brewery was available. They teamed up with additional managing partners Pollock and Napoli; the latter owns a brewery in Atlantic City. Together they formed an LLC dubbed "D&H Brewing Company": a reference to the historic Delaware & Hudson Canal which used to run through Honesdale. The brewpub has a railroad theme which is an homage to Honesdale's rich railroad history. Many consider Honesdale to be the "birthplace of the American railroad". My family and I visited Runaway Train for lunch on a recent trip to the Poconos. We all love trains and we loved all of the railroad decor in the brewery; it almost felt like we were in an old train station. The historic train tracks right outside the brewery are the same ones that the "Stourbridge Lion" (the first locomotive to be operated in the United States) ran in 1829. After looking over the menu, I ordered the "Breakfast Burrito" (eggs, pico de Gallo, avocado and cheddar cheese in a wrap served with fries), my wife ordered the "Ranchero Salad" (crispy chicken, chopped lettuce, tomato, red onion, roasted corn, bacon, house made ranch dressing), our older son had the "Chicken Bites w/ Fries", and our younger son had the "Buttered Noodles" (penne pasta tossed in butter). We all enjoyed our choices. To drink, I ordered a beer flight that featured "Honesdale Rail Cream Ale", "Party On the Patio" (Lager w/ Lime), "Ticket To Ride" (Czech Pilsner), and "Day Tripper" (IPA). I think that the Cream Ale was probably my favorite of the bunch! Great food, great brews, great decor, and great service! We all give Runaway Train Brewhouse our seal of approval! read more

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Was in the area and planned on visiting this brewery. The 2 IPA's that was on there website I wanted to try was not on tap. I was disappointed but we did enjoy 2 different IPA's Wheelhouse and day tripper. We ordered nachos and pulled. They were good but a little dry. The chairs at the bar were a little low and uncomfortable. We really liked the atmosphere here and when in the area again we will stop in for a beer and food. read more

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We're doing a bit of a self-made pub crawl of downtown Honesdale and only came here for the delicious brews... so we thought. We got a couple appetizers after our wonderful waitress suggested we try the dip here (great suggestion). Service was great! Our server was on the spot with all of our orders, drinks came out quick. The kitchen had our appetizer out almost as fast. Ambiance is pretty trendy. Painted concrete floor, oversized steel chandelier, wood accents, and painted murals adorn the walls. The brew works can be seen through giant glass windows. read more

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We had frequented their predecessor ,Irving Cliff, in the past. The beers are lackluster. In all likelihood, we won't be back.

We stopped in one Saturday night while we were in town. I used to live in the area and still have family and friends there so we visit fairly often. This was the first time we had been here since the new owners took over. It was fairly quiet there that night, but the building had been completely remodeled! It was clean, the owner and staff were very friendly and, best of all, the beers were great! They also had a guy in from NYC that was playing live music! Check them out! We will be back! read more

Good service, atmosphere and food, server was very seasoned and very personable, exactly how it should be

They did a nice job cleaning up the old outdated Irving cliff brewery. I'm happy they have liquor now, because I prefer tequila over beer and my husband likes to try the ipas. Food was good we split the smash burger and yummy!!!! Beer was mediocre. The bartender was so sweet. He was friendly and didn't mind chatting with us. I felt terrible when his manager came behind the bar and basically yelled at him to go home because it wasn't busy. He looked crushed. It was very inappropriate of the manager. All the patrons at the bar got their checks including us. We tipped him and empathized. Of course it was terribly busy at 2pm on a pouring Saturday. It's in between lunch and dinner... read more

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Great way to celebrate a bachlorette party! Took our best friend and had a blast! Everything we did was a new experience and something we'll remember forever! Everyone was super sweet, service and all and the vibes were fun!! Would definitely recommend!! read more

First time trying this place and was excited because from first glance it looked presentable and nice, the food? Horrible. Got the pickle creamy dip and chips and a smash burger. The chips literally were bendy like they sat in the fryer for 3 days and could be folded in half (trust me I did it) and the "creamy" dip was a literal block. Could barely dig into it. And to top it off the smash burger I spent 18 dollars on was the most basic burger. No flavor and not even smashed. read more

Good food great beer, very unhappy barmaid had sour puss whole time we were there!! No napkins, sat for 10 minutes before we were acknowledged read more

While the food was not bad, the service was awful and the building smells so bad of dirt/old building smell. It is very off putting. We asked our server about a menu item and all she said was she never had the item so she didn't know. That was her response, she didn't even try to find out details from another worker about this item. We asked for the marinera sauce on the side for my kids pasta and it came out cold. I had to walk it back to the kitchen doors to get the cook because no one else was around. The cook said they always serve marinera sauce cold. Very strange. read more

Saturday was our 4th visit to Runaway Train, and it was definitely the worst. When they first opened, the food was fresh and well prepared. Last night, the food was close to inedible. The fish and chips came out with the fish still cold inside, and they've obviously moved to frozen fish. It is supposed to be beer battered, but its just frozen breaded filets, very close to a fish stick. My wife choked down 1 and gave up. My bratwurst was really good, but on a stale bun. I can report though that the beer is still good. Cmon guys, you can do better! Honesdale deserves better than this. read more

A very good variety of beer something for everyone. The quality of the beer is okay some better than others but none we had were bad. The dry apple cider on the guest tap from Ritters Winery and Cidery is excellent highly recommend. The service was not very good when we were here which dropped it a whole star in my rating. Also, the ambiance here is very nice and simple. read more

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The decor is great now. A huge upgrade from the old establishment. The food was very good and the atmosphere was great. We went on a trivia night and the place was packed. The waiter was very nice and the service was fast. read more

Apps were good! Main entree terrible! Got the chicken bowl . Chicken was dry corn was canned . My husband had the pull pork sandwich. Very fatty! Service was great except manager. She hangs at the bar , when people come in she jumps to seat them . Told her we wanted to sit at bar told us there were plenty of seats ( the same one she was hanging at) there were none had to go back to where she was standing ask for a table . No apology. She seemed bothered . Waitress was great! Second time we were there manager was unfriendly both times . Would only go back for drinks and apps . read more

Runaway Train Brewery: Brewhouse + Saloon - Chicken bowl - Brewpubs Near Me - Honesdale, Pennsylvania

Food and servers are great... but the man walking around who said he was an owner was off putting. He was overly friendly in a weird and awkward way when we arrived, and kept coming over to us as we were eating to talk about the brewery and different beers, which may sound nice but he lingered and we never asked about any of it in the first place. It was especially weird that he said the food was bad here after we told him that we were enjoying the meal. Otherwise, good experience, I would just prefer to have a peaceful meal and not talk to an owner the whole time. read more

Had wings there blood raw in center Food was terrible, being a former New Yorker, it's like a different world Lukans in nearby Hawley Pennsylvania, is one of the Best but that's it read more

Don't bother, they should be ashamed of themselves. 17.00 for 10 boneless chicken "wings" that were the size of small scallops, Sysco's best. Their margins must be 60%. Oh ya and the fries were separate, warm at best. Like they cooked them first. The sauce didn't even taste homemade, again Sysco best probably. HORRIBLE! Not worth the one star in my mind. read more

My wife and I are so happy with this great addition to Honesdale! Great selection of well crafted beers with a friendly welcoming staff all happy to serve you. Another great spot run by the Settlers Inn Hospitality Group. Start with the delicious Dill pickle dip and definitely try the brisket burnt ends. We look forward to returning soon! read more

Runaway Train Brewery: Brewhouse + Saloon - Brewpubs Near Me - Honesdale, Pennsylvania

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Love this place! The dill pickle dip was so amazing, the pretzels were good as well. Aperol spritz on tap & the variety of beers were amazing. It was also nice to sit near the fire and relax. Hostess/bartenders were all very kind and helpful. read more

First time here, very good food and the guest cider was awesome. Staff was very friendly!! Anthony was the best, very helpful picking out drinks. read more

Great atmosphere, excellent food , servers, bartenders and manager is great . My new go to place.

Went there tonight for a few beers and dinner!! I wish I could say it was good but I can't. I will say the decor is better than it was for sure!!! But the food??? Omg it was Not good I had the brisket burnt ends!! They were not fresh that's for sure!!! The coleslaw was terrible and the fries were gross....! We Also got the fish and chips. we had to send it back the fish was raw. It only took the food about six minutes to come out so that tells you something everything is already pre-done the beer was not even that great I'll give them one star for changing the decor but they need a new chef. He is terrible.!!!! I was told by a few people Not to go here I should have known better!!!! I would not recommend this place!!!! read more

I do not normally write reviews, but for this establishment - I felt really compelled to do so. On 6/28, I decided to take my dad out for a cruise and a beer at 2 pm in the afternoon. We are new to the area and Runaway Train came up as a local brew house with a catchy name and outdoor seating. We decided to stop here but wish I could say that we had a decent experience. Firstly, the signage around the building in minimal or confusing. We parked out back and thought we were parking in the wrong place. Sign still reads as the former "Irving Cliff" brewery. Walking from the lot, we were not even sure if we were using the correct entrance because the door itself is not clearly marked. Large signage above door, yes but it felt as though my dad and I were using an employee entrance. My dad is elderly and I am vision impaired, btw. Once inside, we walked up to the bar with the normal and usual anticipation having our order taken. There were two bar maids working - a tall blonde and a shorter brunette. The tall blonde was chatting with another patron already seated at the bar. It seemed that they clearly knew each other and that the patron was a regular. The brunette was actually busy filling up a small flight of "The Experience". - No problem, my dad and I are pretty down-to-earth and patient people. A few minutes go by, the tall blonde is still chatting away at the other end of the bar with the regulars. The brunette is back to filling up flights of "The Experience". Eight minutes go by, my dad and I are still standing at the bar with money in hand. Blonde still chatting on and the brunette returns back to the bar only to fumble with the beer taps she used for filling the taps. After 10 minutes of not even a "hello", "here's a menu", or "we will be with you in a sec", etc. - my dad and I decided to leave. If we were acknowledged and addressed, we would have happily hung around. Sad thing is that this place wasn't really even all that busy. I would have left no stars if possible since we weren't able try anything at all. Not sure if this place was exclusive to "locals only" but it's a poor way to run a business and handle visitors. It's just poor customer service practice. I used to work in the industry. If you can't immediately serve the public with food or drink then you can immediately serve them with kindness and respect. Needless to stay, I love breweries and it is a regret that this place is no longer on the map for me. read more

I just had the worst chicken wings of my life from Runaway Train in Honesdale. As soon as I picked up my order, I noticed a strange smell, but I tried to give them the benefit of the doubt since I took the food to go. Unfortunately, after eating a few, I started feeling unwell. The blue cheese dressing tasted off, and the celery was slimy--completely inedible. This experience is exactly why I hesitate to eat out. I ended up wasting $27 on a meal I had to throw away, and now I'm worried I might actually get sick. Absolutely terrible. read more

We stopped in on our way home after a day of errands in Scranton. The decor was updated nicely and the music was good. We sat at the bar. Worst was that all of the glasses smelled and tasted like bleach. Beers were ok despite the bleach aroma. We had the fried chicken sandwich and the smash burger. Nothing to write home about. And the fries were cold. Overall, an ok place to meet friends for a few beers. And if you're on the petite side, don't sit at the bar if you're planning on eating. It's too high and too deep for the stools. I found it difficult to eat a sandwich there. read more

This place got a major facelift in decor and ambiance. The beers we tried were Ok and we decided to order an appetizer while at the bar. We got the pretzel with cheese sauce.... and I say "cheese sauce" loosely. A more accurate description would be Corn Starch Sauce with a hint of cheese. we were thinking about eating dinner there before we had this appetizer but decided against it. Personally we feel that the Settlers Hospitality Group has gone downhill over the last few years and seems as though several of their restaurants quality has gone by the wayside. Their standards have suffered in our opinion, sadly. We were once supporters, but will be looking into other local options. read more

No thank you, not a brewery any more. Food is overpriced, beer is terrible. Do better

Atmosphere is trendy though I might suggest a few more railroad-themed things to match the name. We went on a Sunday for brunch (served until 2) for what we'd been told was a traditional English breakfast. It's called a " fry-up" here and It was very good, but those familiar with that meal should know that here the beans are served cold and are flavored on the sweet side (vs traditional hot and tomato-based) but it was a very enjoyable meal....eggs nicely done, mushrooms delicious and tomatoes tasty. The bacon was both chewy and crispy. The meal was made special by the bread, which is made from their own beer. The waiter Noah was attentive and friendly. The only disappointment was that they don't serve hot coffee (or tea) (only cold) due to lack of room for a coffee maker (maybe a future addition?) I like a good cup of coffee with breakfast but since they aren't open early this may not bother most people....though, again, nothing finishes off a good evening meal like a hot cuppa Joe either..... read more

Runaway Train Brewery: Brewhouse + Saloon - The "fry-up".....very similar to a traditional English Breakfast - Brewpubs Near Me - Honesdale, Pennsylvania

My husband and I just had lunch at the Brewery, it was awesome ! Friendly Staff, Great Food and Great Beer...worth a trip from anywhere! We have been to all the Local Breweries in the area and this one is the best, No waiting in line for Beer or Food..table service is the best! read more