Newly renovated Lettermans Sports Grill is one of the area’s best spots to dine in and watch your favorite teams play. Located at 1031 East College Avenue in State College, it also is conveniently situated just minutes from Beaver Stadium, the Bryce Jordan Center, and other Penn State sports facilities, with ample parking for large groups.
The official home of the Penn State Coaches’ Show, Lettermans welcomes locals, visitors, and students to come dine and listen to their favorite Penn State coaches being interviewed as its broadcast on the radio. Men’s ice hockey’s Guy Gadowsky, men’s basketball’s Patrick Chambers, and wrestling’s Cael Sanderson are in the winter months, baseball’s Rob Cooper is in the spring, and football head coach James Franklin appears in the fall.
After taking over the restaurant formerly known as Damon’s in March 2015, managing partner Scott Balboni and general manager Tom Hofer have overseen extensive renovations.
“We really wanted to create different spaces within the restaurant for people to find their own comfortable area to dine in or have a drink,” explains Hofer. “We added a seven-seat bar in the Clubhouse downstairs, and it has space for large crowds with long tables and TVs to watch any sports game.”
For a low-key, quiet atmosphere, the traditional dining room has seating up to 60 guests. The upstairs bar and lounge has a modern, upscale feel with 10 TVs. In the mid-level, the wine lounge, with luxurious leather couches, is perfect for a bridal shower or a bachelorette party.
In addition, a 70-seat banquet room is available for reservation for rehearsal dinners, large team outings, business meetings, or classroom sessions.
The new menu has something for everyone, from traditional favorites such as burgers and BBQ ribs to new dishes such as the cheesesteak eggrolls and Irish nachos.
“The candied bacon burger is our new signature burger, and we have a southwest chicken salad served in its own taco shell,” says Hofer. “We have amazing BBQ ribs, pulled pork, and the best Rueben sandwich in town.”
Other items to try include the spinach and goat cheese salad, Cajun salmon salad, and shrimp tacos. There also will be French onion soup, Chili, and a rotating soup of the day feature.
For business professionals, there is a lunch express menu with items that will get you in and out in 30 minutes.
On-site and off-site catering also is available. During home football games, “Ribs on the Road” is your stop for BBQ ribs, pulled pork, and wings.
“We will grill right in our parking lot, and you can pull up, order, and take it to go, or call ahead with your order and it will be ready when you arrive for pickup,” says Hofer.
Happy hours are Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 5 to 7 p.m., Wednesday from 5 to 9 p.m., and Friday from 4 to 7 p.m. During happy hour, all draft beers are half-off, mixed drinks are $1 off, and all house wines are $3 a glass. Also, stadium fries, potato skins, and nachos are all half-off.
For more information, visit lettermans.net or check out Lettermans Sports Grill Facebook page.
