Snack N’ Pack

What do you get when you combine cheap bar food with a liquor store? You get “Snack N’ Pack”, another dining experience I had during my trip to Butler, PA. My extended family makes a trip to this place several times a month to play trivia games and eat some quality food. Why do they keep coming back? Tradition probably, but the first thing I noticed was the absolutely gigantic appetizer menu. I wish I had taken a picture of it… the menu folded out like a brochure, and 1/3 to 1/2 of it was a tremendous list of appetizers. On top of that, I was hard pressed to find something for more than 6 bucks. This menu does not win points for healthiness though. Everything is stuffed with cheese, fried, covered with cheese, and served with ranch dipping sauce (or more cheese). I started off with pretzels and cheese –

This was a lot to eat, especially considering I had the main course to eat afterward. Pretzels compliment beer well, and I was trying a new beer at the time (Michelob Amber Bock). The pretzels and cheese came out piping hot, which was a plus. I prefer baked soft pretzels, and unfortunately, these were fried (like most everything else in the appetizer menu). There was also too much salt on the pretzels, and the cheese had no spice to it. It was decent overall, but nothing compared to the pretzels I had at the Slippery Rock brewery in PA.

For my entree, I wanted something that showcased Pennsylvania’s amazing fries and gravy. Given that, I ordered a hot roast beef and cheddar sandwich with the gravy on the side.

Dipping everything in this gravy, including the sandwich, was just delicious. The bread on the sandwich was buttered, making it taste like a grilled cheese. The fries were very similar to those found at Pimani Bros (famous sandwich shop in Pittsburgh seen on the Food Network) – not too crispy, not too floppy, perfect with gravy. I was too full at this point to eat most of this, but it was quite good. While this and most of the menu at Snack N’ Pack was quite unhealthy, a  few of the people I was eating with ordered salads, which looked huge and tasty.

Snack N’ Pack gets a thumbs up from me. The prices are reasonable, the food tastes great, and the atmosphere is friendly and inviting. You can also grab a pack of beer on the way out… what’s not to love? For cheap, Pittsburgh style cuisine in the Butler area, look no further than Snack N’ Pack.