Review – Hop Knot…Hop NOPE

The Hop Knot Middletown Ct

The marriage of craft beer and freshly baked pretzels is how the Hartford Courant described this place. I would call it more of an indoor kegger. When this place was brandy new, it sounded like a nice original idea. Slammed in yelp for service and quality issues, figured it was wise to let the proprietors figure things out before spending my time and money here. WRONG!

Upon walking in for lunch, the Hop Nope has all the vibe and atmosphere of a frat house living room. The floor was filthy, walls dinged and paint missing here and there…an overall shabby appearance for a place that ain’t been open that long. The waitress/bartender took her time getting to the table, as did the food. Utensils in bulk bins right on the table (bleah), along with a sleeve of cups for beverages (continuing the kegger theme). Heck, they weren’t even red solo cups. Oh yeah the food. For a place that specializes in pretzels, they were quite a disappointment, as was the overly salty roast beef sandwich. A better pretzel can be found at the mall, and a superior $9 sandwich can be found at, say, New England Emporium, or Cafe56. And all the odd-ass beers with sentence long names. Quantity vs. quality is a hallmark here.

At night all the appearance issues probably disappear, and after a few beers the frat house vibe might be fun, but for my hard earned dollar…NOPE.

Disclosure Statement – There is no disclosure! Up in the Man Cave will never accept free meals, drinks or merchandise in exchange for favorable reviews. Up in the Man Cave will never pre- announce a visit, they just walk in, order, and eat…just like you would. You can trust Up in the Man Cave to tell it like it is

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