New Penns Valley restaurant launches with team behind two local favorites. See the menu
A new restaurant from the minds behind two Happy Valley favorites opened this week in Penns Valley.
The StillHouse, described online as “a destination for inspired food and craft drinks,” opened its doors at 137 Streamside Place in Spring Mills on Wednesday. The restaurant occupies the former home of Streamside Family Restaurant and Pizzeria, which moved to a larger space in Centre Hall in 2024.
The StillHouse is the latest venture from C&D Brewing Ventures, Inc., the team behind Otto’s Pub & Brewery and Barrel 21 Distillery & Dining in State College. As part of that synergy, the restaurant will share its space with a Barrel 21 tasting room that sells distilled spirits, Otto’s handcrafted sodas and more. The StillHouse’s name pays homage to its distillery offerings.
Full-fledged restaurants are sparse in Spring Mills and the surrounding Penns Valley area, though neighboring businesses like Valley Wok and the Frosty Hook bar get their fair share of traffic. C&D Brewing Ventures communications and marketing specialist Loryn Rumsey says the StillHouse should offer something new for the community outside of more populated locales in Centre County.
“For this location, we’re really focusing on this particular area,” Rumsey told the Centre Daily Times. “We really want this to represent a small-town community feel and a place where people can gather with friends without having to travel all the way to State College. There’s a lot of folks who commute for work. Rather than staying in town to get dinner, this should be a nice stop right by home.”
The StillHouse’s menu largely centers on overstuffed deli sandwiches and open-faced sandwich platters, including meatloaf, pastrami and pot roast. Also available are gourmet hot dogs and burgers, with the latter using the same local A.V. Farms beef served at Otto’s and Barrel 21.
A few favorites from Otto’s are on the menu, including its pretzel bites and cups of homemade chili. Other options on top of appetizer favorites like fried pickles and smashed potatoes include a rotating lineup of fresh-made soups and a charcuterie board featuring Hogs Galore meats, fresh cheeses and Roger’s Almost Famous Mustard, which Otto’s patrons should recognize.
Craft cocktails, beer and wine headline the StillHouse’s drinks menu, with many options coming straight from Barrel 21’s distillery lineup. Otto’s beer and soda are also available.
More drinks are available on-site through the adjoining Barrel 21 tasting room, which sells bottles of bourbon, whiskey, vodka, gin and more on top of Otto’s soda and other products, including glassware, mugs and bottle openers. The tasting room opened in November to strong reception from Spring Mills locals, Rumsey said.
Though the StillHouse restaurant might appear small from the outside, warehouse-like ceilings and an open concept help the main dining room feel spacious. There’s enough space to sit about 65 guests, general manager Cariese Cory said. The StillHouse employs eight servers and bartenders and has room in its kitchen for about two cooks.
Cory, a north-central Pennsylvania native, moved to the State College area last fall to pursue an assistant manager job at Otto’s. She wound up joining the StillHouse team instead and hopes to help the restaurant find its footing in a small-town community.
“I hope to see a fun place where families can come and gather, maybe hang out after work,” she said. “Just a relaxed place for anniversaries, birthday parties, dinners or anything else they need in their backyard. I think we’re doing a completely different menu and outlook with our experience.”
Plans to open the StillHouse and its Barrel 21 tasting room started last fall, Rumsey said. She credits the quick turnaround to C&D Brewing Venture’s decades of experience managing Otto’s and Barrel 21.
“Part of it is, of course, because our team has Otto’s and Barrel 21, so opening restaurants is not new to our owners and our management team,” Rumsey said. “We’re taking what we learned and know about both of them and combining it into one business. I think the history and the vast learning over the 20 years that C&D has been around helped contribute to streamlining the opening process here that might be difficult in other circumstances.”
The StillHouse restaurant and its Barrel 21 tasting room are open from 4 to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, from noon to 9 p.m. on Saturdays and from noon to 7 p.m. on Sundays. Both are closed on Mondays.
This story was originally published March 6, 2025 at 5:54 AM.
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