Lancaster PA area restaurants

[rosetava]

DH and I are going camping in the Lancaster area in August looking for some restaurant suggestions. Any recommendations for tourist activities are also welcomed.

 

[Happiest.Haunt_999]

What part of Lancaster (it's quite a large area) and what kind of cuisine do you prefer?

 

[Daniela Rose]

We always go to Iron Hill Brewery when we go every year. I’m not a fan of the Amish food.

 

[Alexle2007]

Restaurants- Hershey Farm, Miller’s Smorgasbord, Good & Plenty, PF Chang’s (DS’s fave which just opened in Lancaster), Shady Maple (not quite in Lancaster but they are known for their buffet), Fireside Tavern (Strasburg), Revere Tavern (Paradise)
Activities- Strasburg Railroad, Strasburg Train Museum, Choo Choo Barn, the Amish Farm tour, Dutch Wonderland, Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre, there’s a minor league baseball team, American Music Theatre, Sight and Sound (Christian musicals), outlets, outlets, outlets, wine tasting at Mt. Hope Estate (there’s a location right by Miller’s, very good wine), Renaissance Fest at Mt. Hope Winery

 

[Daniela Rose]

Oh and tourist activities

Horse and buggy ride from kitchen kettle village
Shopping at kitchen kettle village
Strausburg railroad
Pretzels from Julius Sturgis
The market is nice to walk around

 

[Happiest.Haunt_999]

Restaurants- Hershey Farm, Miller’s Smorgasbord, Good & Plenty, PF Chang’s (DS’s fave which just opened in Lancaster), Shady Maple (not quite in Lancaster but they are known for their buffet), Fireside Tavern (Strasburg), Revere Tavern (Paradise)
Activities- Strasburg Railroad, Strasburg Train Museum, Choo Choo Barn, the Amish Farm tour, Dutch Wonderland, Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre, there’s a minor league baseball team, American Music Theatre, Sight and Sound (Christian musicals), outlets, outlets, outlets, wine tasting at Mt. Hope Estate (there’s a location right by Miller’s, very good wine), Renaissance Fest at Mt. Hope Winery

Shady Maple is considered Lancaster, it's specifically in East Earl, which is a town in Lancaster County.

 

[rosetava]

We’re adventurous eaters and willing to drive a distance for a good meal.

 

[kopperdoodle]

You have been given many good restaurants and activities by previous posters. There is also Downtown Lancaster which is a city atmosphere, with a lot of things to do in a close proximity. There is the Prima Theatre, the Fulton Theatre, Central Market, Rachel's Cafe and Creperie, Franklin and Marshall College (beautiful campus, the Iron Hill Brewery is across the street), Checkers Bistro, and Annie Bailey's Irish Pub. There are more little restaurants, but I can't recall all of their names. I have always been happy anywhere I have eaten. There are art galleries, used book stores, and some boutiques. Hersheypark is about 30 minutes away.

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

A PP mentioned Good and Plenty restaurant. AAA magazine featured it in an article about Amish Country last year. And I remembered my parents taking us there when we toured Amish Country as kids. So on our way from Virginia to The Poconos for some Christmas break family fun, we detoured in order to eat an early dinner at Good and Plenty. My college kids loved it and thought it was very worth the stop. It’s kitschy but fun. Food is served family style and is very good comfort food. Go hungry!

 

[Ladyandthepuppies]

Depending on what you consider to be "good" food... the larger smorgasbord restaurants do not have delicious food. Sorry to PP but Good & Plenty is meh to me as well. It's not a buffet but there's only one meal option served family style so they're mass-producing a ton of food just like at a smorgasbord. When food is mass-produced like that, quality tends to suffer. If it was me, I would go to a smaller restaurant that serves higher quality food, like J.J. Jefferies or Ma(i)son. For reference, I find most of the food served at Disney World to be pretty meh (but we love the ambiance and theming in most of the restaurants!) Sorry not trying to be snobby or a complainer, but if you are a foodie like me I don't want you to be disappointed at Shady Maple like I was.

Another fun thing to do is Kitchen Kettle Village, the Jam & Relish store has dozens of samples out to taste. There's also a store called the Olive Basin where you can sample olive oils and vinegars, maybe that sounds strange but we loved it!

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

Depending on what you consider to be "good" food... the larger smorgasbord restaurants do not have delicious food. Sorry to PP but Good & Plenty is meh to me as well. It's not a buffet but there's only one meal option served family style so they're mass-producing a ton of food just like at a smorgasbord. When food is mass-produced like that, quality tends to suffer. If it was me, I would go to a smaller restaurant that serves higher quality food, like J.J. Jefferies or Ma(i)son. For reference, I find most of the food served at Disney World to be pretty meh (but we love the ambiance and theming in most of the restaurants!) Sorry not trying to be snobby or a complainer, but if you are a foodie like me I don't want you to be disappointed at Shady Maple like I was.

Another fun thing to do is Kitchen Kettle Village, the Jam & Relish store has dozens of samples out to taste. There's also a store called the Olive Basin where you can sample olive oils and vinegars, maybe that sounds strange but we loved it!

I’m a California girl who loves California fusion food with all the fresh ingredients and multicultural elements. That’s my all time favorite cuisine. Good and Plenty is old fashioned comfort food, which is a totally different thing. If you are looking for comfort food, it is good. We thought their fried chicken was much better than average. If you are looking for “foodie” type food, it wouldn’t be a top choice.

 

[Arkansan]

I would recommend the Circular Dining Room in the Hotel Hershey (approx. 30 min. Drive from Lancaster). It is a fine dining experience (jackets required for men) and has really wonderful food. They have a wonderful Sunday Brunch, as well. (also formal). To eat there more casually, we enjoy going to the Saturday breakfast buffet (You can also order off the menu, if desired.). Saturday is casual attire, but has made-to-order omlettes, hot and cold cereals, fresh fruit, pastries, various hot breakfast meats, special “Hershey kiss” waffles, etc. If you want to go for dinner, I would make a reservation, as summer is the busy season in Hershey.

Milton Hershey had the hotel built during the Depression. When a foreman showed him the new machine that “could do the work of 20 men” Milton Hershey told him to “hire 20 men” and fired the foreman! (Those were the days, huh?). He had the dining room built in the circular shape because he was tired of being seated in a corner at other restaurants and vowed that his restaurant would have no corners. It has been remodeled several times, but the original stained glass windows are still there.

Enjoy your trip!

 

[allaboutthemouse]

We try to squeeze in a visit to The Tomato Pie Cafe, about 30 minutes from Lancaster, in Lititz, PA every time we camp in that area. And we of course get the tomato pie, so yummy! But other things we have had are good too!
Lititz is a cute little town to stroll around in as well..Sturgis pretzel place and Wilbur chocolates there too.
Have fun! We love that area!

 

[Dakota731]

We ate at a cool little place in Lancaster called the Horse INN. The food was good and the history of the building (old speakeasy and stables) was fun. I don’t care for buffets so I’d rather go to local little restaurants.

 

[allaboutthemouse]

We ate at a cool little place in Lancaster called the Horse INN. The food was good and the history of the building (old speakeasy and stables) was fun. I don’t care for buffets so I’d rather go to local little restaurants.

Thanks for the recommendation, this place looks great! Will have to check them out one day!

 

[rosetava]

Thanks for all the suggestions!

 

[aea71]

Iron Hill Brewery, Bull's Head Pub/General Sutter Inn and Annie Bailey's are favorites for us. Lititz is a great little town to explore (shops, Greco's homemade ice cream, Tomato Pie Café) and is also home to Sturgis Pretzels which has a pretzel making tour and Wilbur Chocolate. Kitchen Kettle Village is also worth a visit for their jam and relish kitchen. If you like BBQ, I'd recommend Divine Swine BBQ near Renaissance Faire or Smokehouse BBQ and Brews near Kitchen Kettle. Funck's in Leola also has a large patio with over 100 craft brews on tap that's another favorite. If you're looking for traditional Lancaster County buffets, I recommend Shady Maple or Miller's Smorgasbord.

 

[kmccain]

We visit every year. I order this guide for the map http://www.discoverlancaster.com/index.asp.
We camp at Flory's. Very nice owners. Nothing fancy but centrally located. We always visit Stoltzfus Meat Market and Deli; Kaufmans Fruit and Farm Market; Bird in Hand Bakery and the separate Bird in Hand Farmers Market; Countryside Road stand homemade pretzels YUM and reasonable crafts . If your there on a Friday am Green Dragon Flea Market is huge. Sight and Sound Theater is Awesome! Good and Plenty is fun family style meal. Yoders Buffet Restaurant is good.
Shady Maple is and experience.

 

[bizeemom4]

I’d advise to avoid Shady Maple. We were referred by local friends and it was not to our liking. Way too big of a buffet and the food was really poor - worse than Golden Corral if that is possible.

 

[aprilgail]

We LOVE Good and Plenty! We actually drove there from NY just to have dinner one time and drove all the way home after it LOL