Forest & Main Brewing Company

My wife and I arrived at this location for an impromptu date.
I’ve been wanting to go for some time.
We arrived and needed to wait about a half hour before a table to sit and eat at was available. Things were rushed when we arrived, they were busy.
We put our name in and went to the bar.
About the time we thought, if we don’t get a spot or communication we should go elsewhere our table opened.
I had two beers for the night and both were outstanding.
I first had a Cere Belly which was a tart saison. It hinted slightly of a sour beer. It was really good. I almost had a second. But, I wanted to try another so I ordered the Tugboat ESB. It was good and did not taste too much like English tea which most ESB do to me.
On to the food, we started with bacon popcorn. It was sweet and salty. It was good. I only wish my wife ate more, because I had almost that whole pot of it.
She ordered pickled vegetables, oh my goodness they were outstanding little bites. A variety of four or five vegetables all still crispy. A little bit of heat to it.
She had a salad as well and enjoyed it.
The main course for each of us.
Mussels which my wife asked for no butter on. It was a garlic butter sauce. They accommodated her request. It was strong on the garlic. She had an ample 25 Mussel’s delivered.
I had a Chicken-​Apple Herb sausage sandwich. It came in a patty like loose sausage. I think it could have used a little more apple. I had it with french fries. I have no complaints with the dish.
I finished with a chocolate crème brule. It was good and a nice finish for the evening.

The food was okay. I thought the beer selection was very strong, thus the fourth star.

I’ve loved this place since it opened! It’s a little hidden gem. The beers are different, sometimes it’s hard for me to find one that I like, but everyone is helpful and allows me to taste the beers until I find one that I like.
Now the menu… this review would have gotten 5 starts if it was made before the menu change. Now, it’s no so great. It doesn’t change anymore! It’s such a bummer! I miss the entrees. That lamb shank was just out of this world and was what hooked me to F&M. Now it’s mostly just sandwiches. The muscles had a funk taste to them. I wish there were more salads or entrees to balance out the greasy sandwiches, burgers, and fish and chips!

I dunno… their beers seem to be getting weird. I have a really hard time now finding ones I like. I am still giving 4 stars, because I like the place. But I def am not frequenting as much as i used to, and will no longer go out of my way to go there.

First time at Forest and main brewing company for dinner and drinks– and I have to say that I was disappointed. I was looking forward to great beer and great food based on the reviews.
First, the beer. I give that a 4 as it was very good and you can tell that they take a lot of cars into the preparation and serving. Some are served at «cellar temp» and they even have a few on hand pump.
The food was the most disappointing thing. I had the chicken sausage sandwich and it was actually quite tasteless. The beer mustard on it was excellent but that’s the only flavor that came through. The sausage patty itself is very bland.
The rest of our party enjoyed their meals but remarked that it wasn’t anything special. We did enjoy the popcorn appetizer (snack). We got the bacon popcorn and the black pepper and Parmesan ones. These were actually very good.
I hope to return to F&M to try some other dish but the first experience was a disappointment.

Before I write, please read this:
Beer and atmosphere and the people that have been working here for awhile get 5 Unilocal stars
The food (pre menu change) was a 4.5 and now, unfortunately, is a 2.5.
We absolutely love forest and main. It is/​was an extension of our living room having lived down the street since the month after it opened. We still don’t know how we got so lucky as to have this amazing place up from where we live. My husband is English and feels more at home here than at virtually any other pub in the Philly area. The beers are varied and amazing and we are treated kindly when we are there — even when we go early with our kids!
Speaking of kids, we were extremely appreciative when they added some kids menu items. In fact I actually think some of the kids menu items are better than the items on the «new» menu. We were so incredibly sad when we saw the menu change this past summer. Gone were the whimsical items filled with flavor and real interesting preparations. I realize their amazing (!!!) burger and English in-​law approved fish and chips are probably their bread and butter menu items so we were glad they kept those but to only keep those and add what they added (seemingly more limited) was sad. There are
Days we long to go have date night at F&M but won’t go there anymore because the menu offers nothing interesting. It makes me sad! If I had one suggestion to Dan E. (Or the new manager guy) It would be that although o understand the need to pare down the menu there may be a better way to do so. What about making it a real European style pub? Why not add easy to make (and cheap!) British favorites like cottage or shepherds pie? Pork pie with a side of salad? Watercress soup? Traditional toad in the hole (made w sausages and a basic batter)? How about a Belgian/​Flemish dish or two like beef carbonnade (an easy stew with unique flavors) or flammkuchen (aka tarte flambee — a basic flatbread pizza-​ish thing). The white bean dip is, ugh, fine, but what about some more dips or spreads like a bagna cauda with veggies or even a feta spread w pitas? Even British pubs churn out easy Indian grub.
I don’t know — it makes me sad to write this bc I’m yearning to get back to F&M as often as we used to. But until that menu refines itself we will only be drinking.
On a positive note, the wings and mussels were a great addition and are delish. The fries are still to die for as is the burger and fish. But please, I beg you, please refine this menu. There are so many easy and cheap things you could add that would even improve with age! Get CREATIVE bc whomever created his menu has not worked in decent restaurants or has not much creativity. I love you forest and main and know you will be back to 5 stars!!!

Pros: Really good food, good selection of unique beer, cute décor, attentive service.
Cons: It had a funky layout walking in (was a converted house), temperature was freezing inside.

Nice place for a burger and a pint. Very tasty beef, good fries, and a nice French-​style draft. Service was a little spotty and we happened to be there for trivia night, which made conversation a little challenged, but still a lovely evening. Prices are quite reasonable as well.

Veryyy hipster place in a quaint part of town. This place looks like it’s someone’s house. But the atmosphere is cool. Extremely limited menu. But they have their own beer on tap and it’s good. And what we had from the menu was good.

Found this place randomly after work during a business trip. My week in PA was half work and half finding as much craft beer and good food as I could.
I love the look of this place. Its a tiny little 2-​story colonial house on the corner. The front yard has picnic tables, the front porch is decorated with vines of hops which was a nice touch (not sure if they actually use those in their brewing). Inside they have a small bar, which was full so I sat on the porch. There was also more tables inside and upstairs.
I started with one of their popcorns, parmesian and black pepper, and a beer. Their beer menu is basically British inspired or Belgian inspired. I started with one of the pales and sampled some of the Belgian farmhouse ales. I’m not the biggest fan of Belgian beer so can speak to them too much, but I did actually like a few of them. I was sad that the ran out of one of their darker beers only days before my visit. I guess their brewing system is small so everything is in small batches. Get em while they last!
For my main course I had the FM Burger with the side salad. The burger was very good.
I also happen to be their on trivia night but their questions were ridiculous, or maybe I’m just not as good at trivia as I think I am (and I was also by myself that night).
This place was a great find. I would definitely recommend checking it out.

I attended trivia night with my fiancé and a friend. We enjoyed the bacon popcorn to start, which was just ok. They each had the F & M Burger while I went with the fish and chips. All of the entrees were fabulous. The burger was a perfect medium rare and I especially enjoyed the cheese. My fish and chips were crunchy and paired perfectly with the malted vinegar. The tartar sauce tasted very fresh.
I cannot recall what beers we had that evening, but we did take home a growler, so whatever it was, it was good.

Very strange but awesome place. It is inside a colonial-​era two-​story house turned into a full bar and restaurant. They have about 8 – 10 of their beers on tap, no guest taps, with styles separated by English, Belgian, and French. British styles on cask. French cider on tap was possibly their strongest offering besides their wicked low abv dry stout. Ambiance was awesome, low lighting, old colonial feel. We had a long wait for dinner but wasted time in the bar room with the TV on. Food was good, expensive, with highlights being the Belgian onion soup. Burger was good, lamb shank was good though no sides and odd white beans served with it. A tad bland for me. Prices were up to $ 20 for entrees. Had fun, food and beer above average. Ambiance high.
Overall, a solid 4-​star brewpub. However, F&M is making the best saisons in the world right now. These are not normally for sale, but if you are lucky enough to live nearby and you love saisons, keep an eye out on social media to see when they have their special bottle releases. Usually these are very limited with 250 bottles or less per run.

Forest And Main Brewing Company is in a really nice historic house in Ambler.
We went on a hot August Saturday afternoon for brunch and beer. The people working at Forest And Main were super friendly, funny and accommodating. They were able to seat us at a large table upstairs.
We had a few different beers and for some of us they were just OK and slightly on the warm side. I have noticed this at Iron Hill sometimes too. Maybe when it’s just that hot out, I prefer my beer ice cold.
The food was fantastic. I had something called Toad in the Hole Rancheros that excellent. My friend Kelly B had the French toast with Fresh Local Berries, Pennsylvania maple syrup. She said that was very good also.
Three & ½ stars from this Unilocal reviewer and I would definitely go back if in the Ambler area again.

You’re going to serve me Belgian and British inspired beers in a beautiful Victorian house? I’m there! I was only bummed to find there were no dubbels or trippels on the menu when we were there. But I somehow made do with the Bier de Garden. My bf had the stout (which was delicious) and the IPA which was well-​balanced.
We didn’t have any food, but we got a look at the bacon popcorn and it looked really good. We got there around 4:30pm on a Saturday when it wasn’t too busy and by the time we left around 6:30, it was crazy mobbed. And it should be, it’s a great place. I only wish I didn’t live so far away.

First the good: creative, ever changing beer selection, all brewed on premises. The combination of British style and Belgian style taps make for an always enjoyable dining experience. Couple that with the lovely atmosphere (especially if you score seats on the veranda) and you wonder why isn’t this place 5 stars?
Simply put, the food has become progressively disappointing over the last several times I’ve dined there. The most egregious example was the fish and chips at my last visit. I’ve traveled through England and know a good fish and chips and its made up of two things 1) perfectly fried cod or haddock 2) a healthy portion of at least 3 fillets of these very cheap fish. While the fish at Forest and Main was fried correctly, when the portion came out, everyone at the table winced. It was three tiny pieces of fish that when put together maybe weighed 4oz on giant bed of fries. C’mon, for $ 14? I had to order more food at our next stop because it just wasn’t enough.
I’ve noticed the burger seems to be getting skimpier as well. With such a small menu, you need to do the things you have right. I heartily recommend F&M for beers, but I can’t recommend it anymore for food. I hope they change my mind…

Great beer, great atmosphere, great people.
This place makes other bars in the area look fake and trashy. It’s because Forest and Main is the real deal. It has fun events, like trivia, good food, and (most importantly) a great atmosphere.
I love going here in the summer and hanging out on the porch outside with my buddies. Nothing says summer like that, right?

This place is awesome! Three beers on cask?! Trivia night?! BACON POPCORN!!!
Yes.
This fabulous brewery is located in an old, renovated house, so there are different rooms to gather and socialize. The bar is quaint, but on a Thursday night, it was comfortable and relaxed.
We walked into a game of trivia already in progress, but we still played. It was super fun.
The beers were hit or miss, our favorites being «My other arm is a Bird» and «Blue Monday».

Bad news is they have shortened their menu, good news is they have lowered the prices a bit, and still have the same exact quality as before.
Service is always great, and pleasant! Try some of their house made beers, as well as the bacon popcorn (You’ll become obsessed). The burger is so great perfectly cooked and worth the cals, topped with the bacon mayo is the most amazing thing ever!
They’ve got live music some nights which is a huge plus in my book, the gentleman playing the music this Saturday night was awesome! It’s perfect for a cozy date night on the weekend, with a relaxed feel.

I’ve heard about Forest & Main for a while now, and was glad to finally have a chance to check it out. We had a reservation and were seated upon arrival. The place was not extraordinarily busy, but service was quite slow. Pleasant, but slow. The server was a bit scarce at times. I don’t know their situation, maybe they were short-​handed, I don’t blame the server but it could and should have been faster.
Others have said they thought the prices were quite high. I suppose I’m used to Center City pricing; I didn’t bat an eye at the price of anything on the menu and I didn’t see that as an issue. Entrees were about fifteen bucks, plus or minus. The food was good and was all served together, always a plus.
The prices for the beers were also reasonable — $ 5 for a 16 ounce pour, a little more for 20 ounce. And while I love brew pubs (and brew myself), I have to say that the beers were just… good. Not bad, not great, just good. I feel like, with their reputation, I should have been awestruck by how good their beers were. I sipped several and settled on the Kinch, which was a nice IPA.
All in all, this was good. Somewhat inattentive service and good but not great beer kept it at three stars.

The charm of this place is incredible!
The beer is delicious. I had the Kinch, which was probably one of the best IPAs I’ve ever tasted. I also had the Solaire, which I liked a little less but it was still good.
The bacon popcorn was good and very addicting.
I got the burger which was cooked a little too rare for me. I asked for medium well and it was still quite raw in the middle.
The staff was very pleasant.
Overall, a great experience.