I have been eagerly anticipating the opening of Grand Illusion Hard Cider in Carlisle, PA.  I had always turned up my nose at hard cider (think the sickening sweet Woodchuck of a few years ago), but I’ve been in love with the newer dry ciders.  Grand Illusion finally opened in February.  I initially thought it would produce cider.  Instead, we found that it has a rotating tap of 24 Pennsylvania hard ciders, beer, wine, and soda, with the focus being on the hard ciders (15 of them!).  There is also fun décor and delicious food.  So, after visiting twice in as many weeks, I thought what better way to really kick off this whole blog thing than with a local business also just getting its start (and off to a great one, I might add)?

First of all, if you haven’t visited Carlisle, PA in the past 20 (or so) years, lose any preconceptions you may have about this gem of a town.  The truck stops are still on the outskirts of town, but the town proper is absolutely bursting with fantastic shops, restaurants, and local breweries (etc.), all very walkable and near Dickinson College.  Our first trip to Grand Illusion was just Hubby and me, with the sole purpose of the trip being our visit.  We found “the right combination of product availability, exceptional customer service, and an unforgettable atmosphere,” just as the owners had hoped when conceptualizing the place.

Our first visit was on a Sunday and it was busy but not packed.  We were greeted by a sign to “Please seat yourself” and a number of friendly wait staff invited us to do the same.   There is an upstairs seating space with a separate “Steampunk bar,” which appears perfectly suited to private events.  The downstairs has less seating (but still plenty of it) and the main bar.  There are restrooms both upstairs and downstairs.  We selected a seat downstairs beside the bar and and waited no more than 60 seconds before we were greeted and provided with a menu and flight sheet.  The selections of cider (15) and wine (6) are a good combination of dry and sweet to please every palate.  There is also beer (5) and soda (4).  The beer selections during our visit included two IPAs, a lager, a gose, and a stout.  Prices for sample sizes (up to 6 for a flight) ranged from $1.00 (soda) to $4.00.  We selected a flight of six dry ciders to share (pictured above).

The food menu is small but versatile, with fun magic show names.  It’s a small plate concept with flatbreads, salads, charcuterie, and other appetizer-type snacks.  We got the “Conjure Up a Pretzel Flight.” This consists of three pretzel logs in three different styles with three different dipping sauces.  The pretzels are an original salted, Italian herb, and Cajun, with Fat Tire beer cheese, Dijon, and roasted garlic Parmesan for dipping.  The pretzels are brushed with butter that seeps into the scores on top just enough to permeate the bread.  Simple snack, but soooo good.

We loved our experience so much that we took the boys back the next week after a walk around the U.S. Army Heritage Center.  This was a Saturday which was much busier and we sat upstairs, where the sound dampeners on the walls aren’t quite doing their job, but it was still a great time.  The boys each enjoyed a soda flight and we all shared the pretzel flight (again).  Did I mention how good the pretzels are?  After our visit, we made a trip to Georgie Lou’s Retro Candy and Gifts and stuffed our bellies at Issei Noodle, all in the same block!

 

I also have to mention the incredible wait staff.  We lucked into the same server both times.  He is so friendly with a great sense of humor, always taking time for a chat and a couple of jokes no matter how busy he seems.

I can’t recommend this place enough.  There is something to please everyone.  If you have any questions about Grand Illusion or want to share your own experience or suggestions, please leave a comment!