Just six miles from Elizabethtown College, a restaurant compared to no other is tucked away underneath an unsuspecting brewery.
At 102 N Market Street in Mount Joy, Pennsylvania, a 19th-century brewery still has its doors open. Bube’s Brewery was established in 1876 by German immigrant, Alois Bube. This is one of the few breweries that survived prohibition and remains open today.
Within these historic walls lie three restaurants: Bottling Works, Biergarten and The Catacombs. If a casual dining experience is more your style, you may want to consider Bottling Works or Biergarten. The Catacombs is very upscale, a descriptor defined by the atmosphere, the quality and the cost.
The Catacombs is located 45 feet under Bube’s Brewery. What is now used for fine dining was once used by the brewery as a natural refrigeration unit to keep their beer cold. With little renovation, this restaurant’s walls are still lined with jagged, meticulously placed rocks. Lighting comes from candlelit tables and soft white lights strung from the ceilings. Every small detail, from the burns on walls to the tilted floors, adds to the historic charm that makes this experience unique.
The menu is another very prominent feature of The Catacombs. They offer a small selection, but there may be something for everyone, unless you’re vegan, as almost every dish contains meat or dairy. The high-profile menu items make for very high-profile prices.
The prices of the appetizers alone are similar, if not more expensive, than an entree at your typical chain restaurant. The entrees cannot compare, starting at $29 for creamy mushroom risotto, the cost of these dishes rises all the way to $75 for a 14 ounce New York strip topped with a lobster tail and a scallop and shrimp heart-shaped skewer.
My dinner landed somewhere in the middle. I ordered the stuffed chicken breast, stuffed with apples, brie and spinach, and served alongside ancient grains and grilled brussel sprouts. This dish was nothing short of phenomenal. For $39, I was expecting to be blown away, but this meal surpassed every conceivable expectation.
The chicken was served in a casserole dish between the ancient grains and brussel sprouts. Sitting in the middle of the plate, the chicken took its role as star of the show. The meat was tender and juicy, cooked perfectly and I never would have dreamt of putting sauce on it. It was smothered in melted brie with apples and wilted spinach encased within the slice down the center of the breast.
The brussel sprouts were crispy but still soft and tender. Packed with flavor, these cabbage cultivars complimented the dish very nicely, making for a very palatable meal. Unfortunately, the ancient grains are where the dish began to lack. They were cooked perfectly, but they were bland and didn’t add much to the dish.
However, what the ancient grains lacked, the dessert more than made up for. I ordered a classic New York style cheesecake, which turned out to be one of the best cheesecakes I have ever had. It was rich and decedent. It wasn’t too heavy, but it was thick and creamy while still melting in your mouth. The cheesecake may have been my favorite part of the meal. It was incredibly memorable, like a siren song in dairy form calling me back to The Catacombs.
No matter the praise I give to this restaurant, I don’t think it’s one I will return to. The quality of the restaurant is definitely worth the price, but I feel satisfied with only having experienced it once. As a college student, I am on a tight budget. While I can justify the cost for a special occasion, I cannot justify a return.
Overall, this restaurant is phenomenal. It is beautiful, atmospheric and has a distinct historical charm. The soft lighting, the quiet instrumental music and the kindness of the restaurant staff creates an exquisite ambiance. If you’re looking for a unique dining experience, quality food and don’t mind spending a pretty penny, The Catacombs is the place for you. But watch out! Some say spirits still roam the halls; you may even have the opportunity to meet Alois Bube in the flesh.
