Eating Out in Pennsylvania

Acme: Brady's Restaurant , US 31, 1 1/2 miles west of Exit 91 off the Turnpike (Donegal exit), Phone (724) 423-4566. Sunday breakfast here on a fall morning, looking out at the pond, ducks and trees changing color. Perfect. The restaurant is paneled in barn siding and has a fieldstone fireplace. Breakfast was very good, and there's a buffet with a grill chef ready to make your eggs or omelet the way you want. The lunch and dinner menu had our mouths watering. If we come back to this area, we'll be coming back here to eat again. (10/2007)

Bridgeville: Napoli's Restaurant, Great Southern Shopping Center, 1155 Washington Pike # 43, Phone (412) 221-2484. Excellent Italian hoagie, cheesesteak (after all, we were in the suburbs of Pittsburgh!) and Reuben sandwiches. I was disappointed in the Italian wedding soup which was more of a shredded beef vegetable soup but Denny's cream of mushroom soup was a cup of buttery, creamy goodness loaded with huge slices of fresh mushrooms. Mmm-mmm good! And the tiramisu? Genuine. Highly recommended if you are traveling through the western side of Pittsburgh or staying around Washington, PA—it's worth the drive up. (5/2011)

East Earl: Shady Maple Smorgasbord, 129 Toddy Dr., Phone (717) 354-8222 People rave about the food and the quantity and the size of the place. I'll agree on the quantity and the size but not the quality of the food. For Amish food, it's bland, lukewarm and just not that good. But I don't like buffets/smorgasbords so maybe it's just me. Reasonable. (9/2011)

Hershey: Palmdale Cafe, 1736 E. Chocolate Ave, Phone (717) 533-3100 A great Western omelette and the homefries were served with red onions and a dash of hot peppers. Homey decor, nice staff and the owner is the cook who makes all her own sides like cole slaw. A cup of cinnamon-pecan coffee cost the same as regular coffee. We definitely recommend this one.

Gettysburg: Gettysburg Family Restaurant, 1275 York Rd, Phone (717) 337-2700 There aren't a lot of places to eat breakfast on a Sunday morning so the locals gravitate here. I found the scrambled eggs to be somewhat dry, the French toast to be very soggy and the bacon limp. Denny's slice of ham came from a processed piece of ham rather than from off-the-bone ham. Disappointing, but cheap. (8/2011) 

 

The Pike Restaurant and Lounge, 985 Baltimore Pike, Phone (717) 334-9227 Located close to the Gettysburg National Park, you can eat at the bar, on the deck or inside. Denny and I chose to eat outside on a lovely day. There isn't a lot of ambience, but we enjoyed the fresh air. Denny had the blue cheese, bacon burger and I had the pulled pork sandwich with onion straws. Both sandwiches were excellent, the food was hot and the server was attentive and friendly. Reasonable for a tourist area. (8/2011)

Lancaster: Conestoga Restaurant, 1501 East King St., Phone (717) 393-0290 Denny and I had high hopes for this restaurant that is situated on the banks of the Conestoga River and has an outdoor patio lined with roses. Unfortunately, the outdoor seating (which was torn and tattered) was the best part of the meal. Denny had the ribs, I had the smoked brisket sandwich, and both were dry although Denny's ribs were a lot more tender than my skimpy serving of brisket on a bun. Service was spotty at best; other waitresses stepped in time and time again for our server who disappeared whenever we wanted something. Disappointing. (8/2011) 

 

Ida's Cafe, 507 Rohrerstown Rd., Phone (7170 293-1311 Breakfast ordered here will arrive at your table literally five minutes after you order it; I timed it with several tables. Our food was well cooked, hot and tasty, even though I'm not partial to a slice of American Cheese slapped on top of my Western omelet. Reasonable and the servers are cheerful and friendly. (8/2011)

Ronks: Dienner's Country Restaurant, 2855 Lincoln Highway East, Phone (717) 687-9571 An Amish-style buffet restaurant with a fairly limited menu. A dinner menu is also available, but four of us went for the buffet. On Friday fried shrimp and fish are added to the buffet and there was about a 30 minute wait for a table. The food was pretty basic buffet fair, although the salad bar was nice and the greens were fresh. The meat choices other than the fish and shrimp was fried chicken and pot roast in gravy. There is a good selection of pies for dessert as well as a really yummy chocolate applesauce cake. Go for that rather than the lava cake. Reasonable. (8/2011)

Scotrun: La Casa Nostra Pizza, RR 611 (east side of street in small strip of businesses near the E/B I-80 entrance.) Phone (570) 688-1204 Almost a white pizza since they put only a slight brush of sauce on their pizzas, but they'll give you a side of marinara for dipping your slices. Good garlic knots. Very tiny inside so you may want to pick it up and take it back to wherever you are staying. (8/2009) Edited 9/2009: They have closed.

Scotrun Diner and Motel, RR 611 (north of Rt. 715 on the west side of the street) Phone (570) 629-2430 The best French toast I've had in a while and my first time trying pork roll, which the waitress had a hard time describing. Good breakfast. (8/2009)

Tannersville: Smuggler's Cove, RR 611 (south of Rt. 715 and on the west side of the street) Phone (570) 629-2277 A great prime rib dinner--meat so tender you groaned, nice ambiance. Pricey, but worth it. (8/2009)