Dockhoppers in Westmont became my local restaurant of choice for pub grub when PJ Whelihan’s started carrying 45-minute waits and an “OMG, I’m 21 and can drink now WHEEEE!!!!” vibe.
Even though Dockhoppers was owned by the same parent company, they could seat you without a wait, served knockout seafood appetizers, and had an oyster bar. Plus, I could walk to Dockhoppers, which is why I ended up sitting in a booth there on Sunday night wondering who changed the drapes.
That’s because this month, Dockhoppers was revamped into the Pour House (www.pjspourhouse.com, 124 Haddon Avenue, Westmont, 856-869-4600). I can still make a meal out of seafood appetizers, and the raw bar is still intact (buck a shuck on Wednesdays), and it’s still under the same owners.
The biggest change is the drink menu. They now carry 76 beers, including beers from craft breweries like Troegs, Victory, Dogfish, Allagash, Lambertville-based River Horse, and Cherry Hill-based Flying Fish. They even had Exit 4, the first beer out of Flying Fish’s new Exit Series, before you could buy it at the brewery.
This is the kind of beer menu I’ve only found regionally at Firewaters in Atlantic City and various spots in Philadelphia. Unless there’s a gem hiding somewhere, it’s the only one within walking distance—considering Westmont and its neighbor Haddon Township are sandwiched by two dry towns, and I live in one those dry towns.
I hope the revamp works. As much as I like visiting Atlantic City and Philadelphia, it’s nice to have a local craft beer option—with an oyster bar as a bonus. And we can leave the 45-minute wait and WHEEEEE! vibe to PJs.