Champs Downtown

I got kicked out for no reason? Of course a “drunk” person wouldn’t be coherent enough to review, but I got escorted out for wanting to use the bathroom? I’m so confused, no one would explain and I am a person of color. I feel like a problematic person wouldVe proved a reason to get kicked out but genuinely i ordered a slice of pizza and am so confused? Not a good look honestly. There’s nothing I did wrong tonight.

Champs is a statement in State College. This location gets busy but it's quite large. The 360 bar has a lot of seats and, besides the first floor, there is an elevated "half floor" and downstairs floor with pool tables and other fun stuff. They card at the entrance. The times we've been here we sat at the tables and at the bar and service was fast and the servers and bartenders were very very nice. They have a large selection of beers and they are cheap; you can get the 16 or 20 oz and take out crowlers. Food is good and the portions are huge. Everything you'd want from a sports bar although it gets very busy!

Usually decent but got kicked out after using the bathroom and not given any reason at all! Not worth spending money here. The staff sucks, atmosphere is terrible, drinks are mediocre, and bouncers are bored enough to make problems for no reason. Go to somewhere better that won’t kick you out for no reason, I hope they remedy this and I believe they need a major staff revitalization. DO NOT GO HERE!!!!

The service here was top notch. We had a large party and our server was personable on time and had a great vibe, we really felt taken care of by her and the food was made quickly and they let us use the space for a long time.

UPDATED on July 10, 2025 State College Boys, aka S.C. Boys, Inc.'s Jeff Chen, who usually works the door - Line Leap on the weekends, got his feelings hurt. I met him in July 2017, and he usually does not allow me to skip the line. I'm OK with that. On September 16, 2023, I waited in line, got a seat at the bar, and ordered an adult beverage because I was meeting a friend there for the Colorado vs. Colorado State football game. I mentioned to the nineteen-year-old bartender that the turnover was high at the sports bar. I asked if the turnover was due to Jeff Chen. Quote: She said that people who work there cannot handle it. She said it was too much for them. In leading up to why I asked the question, previous employees told me Jeff was challenging to work for, so I mentioned his name. Five minutes later, the bartender told Jeff what I said, and he approached me extremely mad. He told me, what if he went to my job and said I wasn't nice? I'm cordial at my job with customers and colleagues. It appeared I hurt Uncle Chen's feelings, but it was based on hearsay, so I am unsure what the bartender told him. Jeff Chen wanted the names of former employees, and I was not going to give him the names of the numerous employees who have spoken badly about him and his management style. It's a good thing it's a college bar, so the kids are just trying to make a buck, and then they graduate. Anyway, I was not disruptive and peacefully having a drink. I decided to leave and am now banned from the business, and that's ok. Many others, including myself, are prohibited from participating in Uncle Chen's Champs in State College, PA, home of Penn State Football. Being banned at Champs is equivalent to being banned from Russia. Don't go there! NOTE: Mr. Jeff Chen at 139 S. Allen Street in State College, Pennsylvania: It is against the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act to deny entry due to one's race, religion, gender, or disability. Please be advised.

A cool sports bar to hangout and catch up with friends. Multiple games available to have fun with. There is a restaurant on the ground floor and sports bar in the basement. Ambience is nice for a club. Variety in the drinks menu. Since its in a small college town, expect typical student experience at times.

My friend and I waited in line for 40 minutes, got inside, used the bathroom, and within 3 minutes, a staff member decided we were “drunk.” We hadn’t even ordered a drink yet. If they truly believed we were intoxicated, why take our cover charge at the door without saying a word?

The bartenders are always friendly and make great drink recommendations. Everytime I go here they always play good music and the drinks always taste amazing 👏

Went here while attending a conference. The servers were nice the drink prices were just right and it was just a lot of fun. The food was just pub food but not bad and overall the vibes were vivid

We skipped freezing our butts off and decided to watch the playoff game against SMU at Champs Downtown. We were carded at the door (they card everyone) and told we could sit wherever we wanted, so we picked a table on their balcony directly across from numerous TVs. A DJ was playing tunes but once the game started, the sound was turned up. It was a great atmosphere to watch the game, and every time Penn State scored a touch downtown, the crowd was electric and chanted. Our server was excellent and checked on us often. We had two appetizers, the Suzi Wong egg roll which was just ok and the Jaworski pierogies which had sautéed onions. We also shared a Heat Check marinated chicken breast sandwich which had cilantro and jalapeños. Overall, everything was good. We stayed until the game was almost over.

my boyfriend and i got 2 burgers from champs. he said he liked his a lot and he ate it all. i got the pittsburgh parrot but i didn't finish it. the chicken was rough and kind of dry. fries were really good though. and my buns got soggy fast

Came in on a Sunday so more of a restaurant vibe than a bar vibe. Good service and good wings.

After a server aggressively bumped into my friend that was holding drinks, I announced "excuse you!" So she could stop plowing through a crowd of people with full drinks. After all of my friend's drinks were spilled. The server turned around and yelled at me "I work here, bitch". Classy. She then proceeded to get the bouncer to kick my entire group of friends out. I understand that servers were most likely stressed and having a busy night, but calling a customer a bitch is extremely over the top and poorly represents the bar. In an effort to not start any trouble with the obviously angry servers, I asked the bouncer if I could finish my drink which was almost empty and he rudely snatched it out of my hand. Once again, unnecessary, but we kept it moving to avoid trouble. After making our way outside, one member of our group spoke with the manager in an attempt to reconcile the issue. He "reviewed" the issue (aka spoke with the unruly employee) who said I had called her a "whore" which couldn't be further from the truth. Not only is that a bold faced lie, I was shocked she had come up with a whole ordeal so fast that was so incredibly dramatized. As we walk out, the outside bouncer grabs my friend's ID for some reason, he obliges, the bouncer looks at it and then proceeds to rudely throw it on the ground. I am so confused as to how this business is so poorly managed. I am a grown ass woman visiting this college town and this bar is a stain on an otherwise immaculate PSU reputation of kindness and respect. I've never encountered so many rude people at one place.

Jack the bouncer was extremely wrong and racist. My friend came to visit state college. He denied his passport accusing it was fake. The police came and approved the id. He then still didn't allow it saying my friend was rude in line. The manager came out and said he's fine. Jack the bouncer continued to follow us around in the bar harassing us making a lot of peoples night not ideal! Fire Jack as soon as possible!

Good pub style food. Lots of games on the big screens for sports enthusiasts. Service was solid.

Easter kind of sucks in State College. Most restaurants and stores aren't open, and those that are close early. Thankfully Champs didn't fall into any one of those categories. They were open and a little busy. Mainly because of pre-concert drinkers for the Drake show. Was able to find a seat at the bar. However, they want to cram seats in like sardines. There are so many seats around the bar that it is difficult to sit down. Get rid of a few of the bar stools and things could be good. And im pretty sure it won't affect their bottom line. Was glad to see they had one of my favorite beers on tap, and that was the Founders Rubaeus Nitro. Always hits the spot, especially if you have never had a nitro beverage. The food didn't disappoint either. I wasn't going to get an app, but I changed my mind when I saw the homemade chips and dip. I can never turn down potato chips. These were pretty good for the most part. Some inconsistencies with the freshness of each chip. Some were perfect, with a great crunch, while others were stale and had no crunch. The dip was a typical onion dip. A good pairing. I took most of the chips and dip to go. My main meal was the Cajun Chicken Cheesesteak (try saying that 3 times fast). This came with a side of fries. And let me tell you, these fries were good. With a light snap and the seasoning touched all the taste buds. They were a little stingy on the serving size, though. The sandwich was great. Although I didn't taste much Cajun flavoring, there was plenty of chicken (in which there were a few chewy pieces). The bread was fresh and the cheese was perfectly melted. I did not leave disappointed.

Hey... we got carded in here!! Sooo apparently, they've had problems with some patrons getting stupid and they scan your ID into their system and if you're kicked out and try to come back, it'll come up on their computer. We had the PIG MAC... Pulled pork with Mac and cheese on top.. Very good. Service was a bit slow for being empty.. Good espresso martini.

We came back here and sat at the front of the restaurant with the doors open and the ability to people watch. We had good service and ordered the Booze Bag and Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc. The Booze Bag is a steal with a healthy pour and tasty. We also ordered the pretzel and it was good but a little burnt. This is a fun place with a party atmosphere.

genuinely the worst food service I have ever seen. I'm saying this as a food server I understand being tired. I understand frustration I do not understand getting dirty looks the second you walk in a restaurant and being manhandled your seats. The energy I got entering this restaurant is a sort of gut feeling you get before you're killed on a dark road. Manager came out, said nothing was seemingly irritated by your presence and sat down in an area. We did not want to be seated in. Do not avoid all costs .

It is with a heavy heart that I write this review. Champs was once the undisputed King of Wings which had a unique spicy sauce with a hint of sweet, consistent quality and always nice and crispy. I haven't had a good Wing at Champs in years. The sauce doesn't seem the same, the wings are of crappy quality and the service sucks. An acquaintance of mine who worked there let me know that now they now pre cook the wings and keep them warm under a heat lamp. I don't know why the sauce now tastes off but it does and the wing quality seems low. Probably a cheaper supplier to save money. The Champs Wongs of old are dead. There are at least 5 other spots with better wings now and it seems like Champs doesn't even care

Food- bussin, Bar- Poppin Service- could be a little better but not bad Ambiance - Poppin

S.C. Boys, Inc.'s Jeff Chen, who usually works the door/LineLeap on the weekends, got his feelings hurt. I met him in July 2017, and he usually does not allow me to skip the line. I'm OK with that. On September 16, 2023, I waited in line, got a seat at the bar, and ordered an adult beverage because I was meeting a friend there for the Colorado vs. Colorado State game. I mentioned to the nineteen-year-old bartender that the turnover was high. I asked if the turnover was due to Jeff Chen. Quote: She said that people who work there cannot handle it. She said it was too much for them. In leading up to why I asked the question, previous employees told me Jeff was tough to work for, so I mentioned his name. The bartender told Jeff what I said, and he approached me extremely mad. He told me, what if he went to my job and said I wasn't nice? He has the right to do that. It's his right. It appeared that I hurt his feelings, but it was based on hearsay, so I am not sure what the bartender told him, but he asked me to leave. He wanted names, and I was not going to give him names. I was not disruptive and peacefully having a drink. I decided to leave. We do have a First Amendment to free speech. I am sorry your feelings were hurt. NOTE: Mr. Jeff Chen at 139 S. Allen Street in State College, Pennsylvania: It is against the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act to deny entry due to one's race, religion, gender, or disability. Please be advised.

Berenice the server is unreal. Bar crawl day is a crazy day and she's so amazing and calm and just so perfect. So quick. Everything you want to drink and such a great server on such a big day with the first game of the season. Love her so much

Stopped in here for bunch and it wasn't a bad choice! Food and service were both good. Very limited menu and all breakfast foods, I was hoping there would be something from the lunch side. There was verbiage on the menu that said no substitutions, which is really odd and they wouldn't sub toast instead of an English muffin. I had the breakfast of champs, which was ok, but not overtly impressed. It came with a salad thing that wasn't good and the home fries had been cooked too long. I'll probably be back, but I hope they expand their menu just a bit and allow for a few substitutions.

No doubt the best bar in state college. During the school year I came here every weekend and was never sick of it. The environment here is absolutely insane on the weekends and the service here is faster than any other bars in state college. This place is always my first choice when going out in state college.

I was having a good time hanging with my friends. I went to the bathroom and on the way out was told I have to leave. I said ok no problem, can I please close my tab first? I was told no and forcefully ushered out of the property. I respect their authority to tell patrons to leave but they seem to miss the concept of if you do so, you cannot the charge the person 20% "tip". Neither myself nor my friends will be coming back.

Poor customer service. Would not replace a drink that was not good. Food was awful...way too salty. Server was nice but not helpful and when I ordered a diet coke instead of a beer, she didn't even tell me they only serve Pepsi products. Bad experience overall.

Your typical college bar with food. Food was decent. Also fair amount of beer options. Atmosphere was quite loud (meaning I could not hear the person across from me). Front door staff was quite rude through the carding process. I understand and respect the responsibility to ensure no one under age is admitted, but their approach is going to deter future business (like mine).

Has gone seriously down hill in the last two years. Their bouncers ignore women who report being sexually assaulted, their drinks are overpriced, and they treat their bar tenders terribly. Any event at Champs is always a disappointment.

Love this place. My favorite sports bar in State College! Amazing place to chill with friends, vibe with co workers, and watch the game. There's a dining area, a gaming area, and a dance floor. Basically the dreamland for anybody. Love the staff here too, they are all super cool, friendly, and attentive. 5 stars.

Worst experience I have ever had at a bar. I will literally never go back. It takes forever to get a drink. We sat at a table and a server never came to take our order. Would not recommend.

If you want to watch a sporting event the 25+ TVs on the main floor guarantees you a good view. We were in town for a basketball game and had time to kill on a Sunday afternoon so we stopped in here during the NFL playoffs. It was a lively crowd to say the least. It was early enough that we got a big booth. Our waitress did a nice job keeping us supplied with food and drink. The menu is standard bar food. My reuben was good as was my friend's burger. The fries were surprisingly good. They have a huge selection of beers on tap. I understand that this place can get incredibly jammed and crazy at night but we were here during the day so it was relatively sane except for the Eagles fans!

A Penn State classic. Order a dirty sprite! My favorite is the purple one because it's kind of like a grape flavor, but pink is good too if u like pink lemonade. Honestly so great for a fun night out. Lines are horrible tho, so don't go if ur not willing to stand in line for an hour.

We have had some pretty rude, inattentive service here on several past occasions, especially at the bar, and were hesitant to return. Tonight we sat at a table for apps with our daughter, and had the MOST INCREDIBLE SERVER named Ghami!!! (sp? sorry!). He was efficient and professional, but most of all he was incredibly kind and made us feel very welcome. We loved him!!! Thanks for a wonderful experience, Ghami!! You guys are lucky to have him!!

The service here was great. Everything we ordered was fast and solid. Drink prices were average but this is a great place for atmosphere and watching some games. I recommend the loaded cheese fries and one of the plenty of on-tap beers. Will be back.

I came here to enjoy some live music and was escorted out because I wouldn't allow men taller than me to cut infront of me. They were tiktokers so they assumed they deserved the better seat but I had stood there for over 4 hours, paid my way and paid for my drinks. The drinks were horrible and over priced. I've never been bullied by a staff of workers before in my life. If you wanted to be reminded that you don't belong go to this place they'll make you feel small just like they made me. The picture is of the men who were harassing me one was a bouncer. He also punched my boyfriend in the stomach because my boyfriend put his arm around me he said he didn't mean to but come on ! after this man stood tucked up behind me the entire night while I was just standing there trying to dance. He waited until the live act went on to tell me we were a problem and had to leave after we stood there for 5 hours. If we were a problem why didn't they have us leave earlier in the night ?

Visited here on a Thursday evening for a late dinner with some friends. Two of us ordered the ribeye steak. This was phenomenal! I would have never expected a steak this good from a sports bar lol. It was cooked exactly how I ordered it and you could cut it with a butter knife. It came with pierogis, which was another bonus! They needed a little salt but no biggie. Service was great and we would definitely visit here again!

Very discriminatory bar to internationals. Wouldn't accept an Irish person with four forms of government ID. Avoid avoid avoid these scumbags. Manager tonight was also on a huge ego power trip. Wouldn't even talk to us or give us the time of day. Instead "death-stared" us and refused to speak

Normally I like champs but tonight I bought the line leap (35$) and went in. Not less than 20 minutes later a bouncer comes up to me and tells me it's time for me to go. I've had literally 3 drinks and this dude tells me I'm stumbling. I don't know if it's because I'm wearing flip flops or because the line was too long but these bouncers are out of pocket. I spent 35$ + 5$(cover) to get into champs and got kicked out for literally no reason within less than half an hour. What does that tell you about this establishment?

Food is surprisingly good for a sports bar. Ive pretty much enjoyed everything ive ate here but ive mainly stuck with the sandwiches. My favorite is the Colorado Rockie, but all the sandwiches are really good. The appetizers are kinda a rip off tho especially the buffalo shrimp. Its like almost 10 bux and you get like 8 shrimp. The food specials are really good too especially the $8 full rack of ribs on Wednesday 9pm. The only caveat is that you cant take em home and you have to eat em all there... The linsanity is not bad as well and they have a truffle chicken salad sandwich that I really liked as well. Unfortunately, they dont got the full menu, so if you want the full menu, you have to order delivery or go to the other champs on atherton.

Dear Champs, My hero zero seriously sucks so bad. Please stop having them "perform" at champs. They are not worth my $5. They manage to ruin every single song. Please. Stop. Sincerely, every single person at Penn State

Went here on a Sunday afternoon, the day after a PSU game. Guy in front wrote on my 13 year old daughter's hand with a permanent marker, just to make sure everyone knew she wasn't 18, LOL. I guess I could understand if it was at night but this was around noon on Sunday. Kind of weird, but whatever. He sits us down at a table, and then we sit there for about 15 minutes without a single person coming to our table. Got up and left.

The manager (Asian man I believe his name is Jason) touched me/manhandled me and basically dragged me out of the bar so I pushed him out of self dense. Because of that, I got banned for life from the bar. The female manager (tall skinny lady with brown hair) said if I wrote an apology letter I would be allowed in. I went into the bar with an apology letter and they laughed at me saying they knew I would never be allowed in. Over the last few days I was unbanned so I went in with my friends to spend money. Today, the manager (lady with the brown hair) sent over a man to kick me out even though they knew I've been going there the last few days. I'm just not sure why someone who touched women and grabs them is allowed to be a manager. I'm also not sure why the female manager is allowed to be in a position of power when I've told her privately that the manger was manhandling and touching me. I don't know who to complain to be ate being a person of color, it's hard to have a voice especially in a place like state college. I hope Someone who's reading this knows to not go there and will listen to what happened to me.

This bar doesn't deserve even 1 star. The bouncer yelled at my friend for no reason and told us to leave, which is no problem However our friend was in the bathroom and I said when she is done we will leave. He wanted us to wait outside for her, and that is really creepy for me. Why do you want us to leave without her? They even threatened to call the cops, but I was not leaving the bar without her. She got out the bathroom and he escorted us out. Why don't you escort the other people out. It was so creepy and made me so uncomfortable. We weren't doing anything just waiting in SILENCE outside the women's bathroom.

Mr. Squarepants and I did the dirty in the back bathroom. One of the bouncers caught us mid-fuck. He was tall with curly hair. I asked if he wanted to join... wish every bar had customer service like he did.

Champs downtown isn't as great as the original but it's still pretty good. Service has been great the handful of times I've visited. Loaded nachos (bull fight?) are great!!

The food is ok. Good beer choices and good atmosphere. The only thing that makes this bar such an awful experience are the awful, unprofessional and unpleasant waiting staff. There is $5 cover every weekend Thursday to Saturday. Don't expect to avoid the cover by going later. Even 10 minutes before close they are still charging the $5 cover. If you're looking for a good meal with great service you are better to look else where, plenty of other options downtown. If you are looking to find a place for drinks, make this your last stop to make it bearable.

Worst bar experience every time we have gone. Seriously, there are much better bars than this. This place attracts a really bad crowd. I was standing at the bar and some drunk guy randomly slowly poured his entire drink on my head for no reason, which is battery btw. Got him kicked out by security. Couple minutes later, bartender refuses to serve me (and other girls around me) and orders us to leave and claims we were too drunk when I hadn't even ordered yet. We were then escorted out, very confused (I'm guessing the drunk guy who we got kicked out was paying a lot for drinks). She would lean over and find guys to serve instead of the girls who had been standing there forever. Went to Doggies instead and had a much better time and better drinks! Never coming back here.

I currently live in Philadelphia but I was born in State College. I only come back a few times a year, and when I do I hit three specific spots. Waffle Shop for breakfast, The Green Bowl for lunch, and Champs, for Dinner. I know the reviews on this place are mixed, but it seems "whatever" because it's mostly drunk college kids complaining. :-) So yeah, the place is probably a poop-show on game weekends but that's pretty much every place in town. #SuckItUp I've been coming to the various Champs locations since I was in 9th grade and I've never had a bad experience. I have legit never ordered anything else on the menu other than wings and drinks, both are phenomenal. They quite possibly have some of the best wings in PA. In addition to the food, this location has a great architecture. The set-up on the lower level is really cool. Arcade games and pool tables. This spot is definitely worth checking out, just come on a game day and you'll most likely have a great experience.

I wish I could give them a score below 1 star, but alas. Not gonna lie, they were racist towards one of my friends. The bouncers did not bother to give my friend any respect at the door, and the manager himself wanted to incite a fight. He provoked my friend by saying are you eying me up?! Even though the bar tenders are fine, the bouncers definitely need training at the very least.

I decided to change up my nightlife routine slightly by coming here instead of going to the Basement Nightspot, formerly known as Indigo Club and I'm very glad I did! The vibe was excellent as younger college party-goers danced it up on the, albeit, small and cramped dance area, impressively reciting lines to every song that played including the older ones. On that note, the DJ did an excellent job playing a wide variety of music covering a number of decades and seamlessly mixing from one song to the other in tasteful order. However, what impressed me most was when I went downstairs and witnessed the vast number of video games, more especially the number of pinball machines which I've never ever seen before in other establishments. Being a pinball nerd this really tickled my fancy. Unfortunately I did not get to play any because I was more occupied with dancing it up. That said if I am back in the area, I will most certainly hit up that spot with a fat wad of quarters. Anyway, I had a very delightful time dancing to a wide variety of great music with fun and upbeat clientele that made for a great and memorable night.

Champs is the best ! Incredible drinks for amazing prices. I recommend any of the booze bags and the pink dirty sprite! Great place for alumni, students, and for watching sporting events!

Bouncers were disrespectful to a large group (all of age) celebrating one girls 21st birthday. They insisted that they didn't have a table for all of us and that we'd have to be separated and once we were we could NOT talk to one another. Then a waiter said they did have space so they let us through to get ID's checked. They proceeded to tell us that our friend was not allowed in due to house policy that you can't have just turned 21 after midnight. After being out of business for 3 months (covid), they turned away 10 very pleasant, self controlled, paying customers because .. idk? I gave a 2/5 rather than 1/5, simply because I'm a nice person.

As a Penn State student, I was pretty much obligated to check this place out. I went in on a slow day during Spring Break, and it took about 5 minutes to get my drink order. You'd think the place was semi-busy having to wait that long, but there were only two other people at the bar and two bartenders. Got my drink and proceeded to wait another 20 minutes to place my food order. Bartender spent about 20 minutes talking to some friends (I'm just assuming this because they didn't order a single thing). My food was cold and had a long hair in it. Only thing good was that the drinks were pretty strong. If you're looking for a good crowded atmosphere with college kids, this may be your place. If you want food and good service, hit up the Atherton location.

I hope people hear this post. Something disrespectful happened to me at champs this weekend and penn state and champs should be completely embarrassed. I came back to penn state, penn state alumni 07 for the first time since 09. I went to champs Friday night and just got there, went in bathroom and was escorted out of the bar saying I was "intoxicated". I didn't even drink. They grabbed me and pretty much forced me out. It's an embarrassment for penn state . I'm a classy 32 year old guy. I do have a minor case of cerebral palsy in my right hand and have a very slight stuttering problem. I was treated with such disrespect and this kind of treatment completely destroyed my night. Never been kicked out of a bar and discriminated like that before I was told to come back the next day if I wanted to notify a manager in more detail. I came back yesterday and again was completely disrespected once again. The manager just ignored me. I hope somebody at champs takes the necessary steps to fix this huge issue so it doesn't happen again to somebody else. I only went back there yesterday to let somebody know to protect somebody else this could happen to and they didn't really care A bar definitely has a right to kick somebody out if intoxicated but it was obvious from talking to me I wasn't. Somebody that walks a little abnormal or trips because of a crowd of people shouldn't be and can't be disrespected like that. Was awful. (Don't even recall this happening to me in terms of walking. Maybe wasn't walking in a straight line?)

After a long day of skipping 2/3 of my classes, it's great to wind down with some drinks and amazing food. The food here is always A1 let me tell ya. It's so much better than any other bar in state college. The pastas are to DIE for and they come with italian bread and a side salad which is delish. I always get the water bucket appetizer, which is steamed clams served with clarified butter. It's sooo good. They also have this creamy cajun pasta with crawdads and YOU. MUST. TRY. IT. Or you haven't truly lived. That is all. PS did you really go to champs if you didn't get a dirty sprite?

Our go to spot on Sundays before heading out. Watch football and enjoy great food. The 3 stars rather than 5 is due to the fact that you sprung the 21 and over card on us today. Turned us away at noon because one child is 15. Understand if it's dinner on a Friday or Saturday night, but noon (time of opening) on a Sunday is not acceptable.