we drive across PA multiple times a year for many years and are always looking for good new places to stop and eat. Im starting this topic to memorialize some of them and maybe get some additional suggestions. as Brian Yarvin has noted here or elsewhere, there seems to be a trend to homestyle restaurants closing in favor of brew and burger or BBQ casual places. We agree thats a sad trend but some of the new brew and burger type places are good and besides, we like good burgers and Jim likes a good beer when we are on the road. Here are a few of the places we have enjoyed over the years.
MILLWORKS Restaurant, Harrisburg PA - near the capital and Market is this eating place with brews. We had some really tasty burgers here last year, the level of cuisine seems good. Very popular.
JOSIES GERMAN RESTAURANT AND MARKET, Mechanicsburg PA - uneven but some really good dishes and a great source of german (not PA dutch) sausages and groceries. We really liked the sausage platter and the jagerschitzel, not so much the goulash. Beer of course. Tiny homey spot.
BROWNSTONE RESTAURANT, Middletown PA. A nice intown restaurant in an old bank building in a cute old river town. Havent visited since the pandemic, but their chicken pot pie (not the noodle version) was always very good.
COPPERZ Brewing Co, Hamburg, PA - decent brews and burgers cooked with pride. very enjoyable stopping place off 80.
ESTHERS RESTAURANT, Fredericksburg PA just off 78 - rural diner, good for breakfast, I particularly like their chicken corn soup with chopped egg in it
We recently found MELS RESTAURANT AND LOUNGE , Somerset PA as an alternative to the SUMMIT DINER. Downmarket, feels like an old speakeasy, but delivers a very good burger and other simple fare in addition to some real local atmosphere.
OUT OF THE FIRE, Donegal PA - after many many visits we feel likes its lost a tiny bit since the early days (and not BYO any more) but still a very enjoyable and worthy lunch and dinner destination in the Laurel Highlands area with its great deck looking out over the mountains.
GENERATIONS RESTAURANT, Wheeling WVA - An institution, still in family hands, not so much polish flavor but very good casual food, a good beer selection and yes excellent burgers. Very enjoyable.
Along 80 not so recently visited but long term faves -
OLD FORGE BREWING COMPANY, Danville, PA - an excellent brewpub/burger/sandwich stop in a nice old town, good for a stroll as well as very good food.
BERWICK BREWING COMPANY, Berwick PA. A long running chill brewpub with pizza, with nice cool seating along the Susquehanna River. We enjoyed our stop here very much. https://www.berwickbrewing.com/
POWERHOUSE EATERY, whitehaven PA - a welcome sight in the Poconos, driving W from NYC
its been a while but we have always enjoyed our casual meals here. Great space, too! https://www.powerhouseeatery.co/
GIOs BBQ, Clearfield (Woodland) PA. could be worth considering in the Clearfield area. http://giosbbqwoodland.com/
In the last year Ive had less successful meals at a couple of places just west of bedford - the Jean Bonnet Tavern, and the Horn O Plenty. The first I dined alone at - felt the cuisine was a little ossified though it was a really nice room. The second we lunched at on a weekday - very quirky, their burgers had ground mushroom in them, but it did not seem to be an advantage becauset the flavor did not come through and diluted the beefiness - we were served slaw that was just big chunks of cabbage, with pretty much no dressing - all in all fairly strange but there was only one other table and maybe th regular cook was not in the kitchen - Id give it another try, a nice hillside location outside of town.
We mourn the TOWN HALL RESTAURANT, evidently permanently closed now where we had a number of fine breakfasts and the fact that SHADYMAPLE is an unvisitable zoo now, I would like to have their broasted chicken again but will not go.
