Chapter House, Ithaca, NY, USA
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
In most college towns you expect to find a vast assortment of bars, most of them catering to the student crowd whose primary weekend concern is to eliminate stress by becoming so drunk they forget what day of the week it is, and sometimes even which planet they are on. That's why the Chapter House is an oasis, free from your collection of frat boy partiers and other loud mouthed obnoxious drunks.
The Chapter House consists of four rooms. The first one you walk in to is where the bar is, lined with bar stools and many beer taps. The next one over is a room of many benches and tables. The next one over from that is more tables, more benches, another small bar and a couple of pinball machines. The final room, which runs perpindicular to the other three (and which used to be the site of an on the premise brewery) has two pool tables and a couple of dart boards.
One thing that sets it apart from other a-typical college town bars is the lack of neon lighting and all sorts of a gaudy advertisements. The lighting is toned down and provided by a few scattered standard light bulbs. It gives the place a relaxed, yet still warm and friendly glow. Put simply it doesn't resemble a dingy pit.
But perhaps the thing that gives it its local fame is the large selection of beers on tap. The don't carry the typical watered down, unfit for human consumption beers (American beers such as Budweiser, Busch, etc. will never be seen on their taps). Instead they have a wide range of local small brewers, and importated foriegn beers from Austria, Germany, and of course Ireland (it's rare in the States to find a bar with multiple Guinness taps, and bartenders who know how to pour it properly).
Until recently (circa 1998) the Chapter House served exclusively beer. Now they have branched in to carrying top shelf liquors. It is a move that some regulars to this day question. Despite the additional beverage choices the atmosphere has remained much the same: relaxed, friendly, festive. It feels like a community place where friends gather and new friends are made. It does away with the glitz and presents itself as a good solid pub for those who enjoy a fine drink.
The Chapter House consists of four rooms. The first one you walk in to is where the bar is, lined with bar stools and many beer taps. The next one over is a room of many benches and tables. The next one over from that is more tables, more benches, another small bar and a couple of pinball machines. The final room, which runs perpindicular to the other three (and which used to be the site of an on the premise brewery) has two pool tables and a couple of dart boards.
One thing that sets it apart from other a-typical college town bars is the lack of neon lighting and all sorts of a gaudy advertisements. The lighting is toned down and provided by a few scattered standard light bulbs. It gives the place a relaxed, yet still warm and friendly glow. Put simply it doesn't resemble a dingy pit.
But perhaps the thing that gives it its local fame is the large selection of beers on tap. The don't carry the typical watered down, unfit for human consumption beers (American beers such as Budweiser, Busch, etc. will never be seen on their taps). Instead they have a wide range of local small brewers, and importated foriegn beers from Austria, Germany, and of course Ireland (it's rare in the States to find a bar with multiple Guinness taps, and bartenders who know how to pour it properly).
Until recently (circa 1998) the Chapter House served exclusively beer. Now they have branched in to carrying top shelf liquors. It is a move that some regulars to this day question. Despite the additional beverage choices the atmosphere has remained much the same: relaxed, friendly, festive. It feels like a community place where friends gather and new friends are made. It does away with the glitz and presents itself as a good solid pub for those who enjoy a fine drink.
