Recs for Mt. Joy/Adamstown
Will be in these two areas for a long weekend and so far, it looks like Bube's Brewery and Stoudt's Brewery have restaurants that have gotten good reviews. Any other places to try out? I'm pretty open to anything.
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I went to a murder mystery dinner at Bube's and had so much fun!! The food was pretty good, the acting and mystery also pretty good, and we enjoyed meeting the other folks in the group. If you get into it just a little, it will be a blast. This might be a good choice for the 40 something group, not the kids. The Bottling Works at Bube's is a good place for a solid lunch. If you go there, ask for a tour of the site which is filled with history and just really cool. Have a good visit. I love Adamstown!
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re: PearlRabbit
Thanks for all the recommendations!
The first part of the weekend was catching up with my annual college girls <ahem> reunion. In Adamstown, the Silk City Diner was closed for renovations so we ended up having dinner at Stoudt's - I had the french onion soup and bleu cheese and pear salad topped with salmon (huge portion), both very good. The next night we ended up eating at a local Italian restaurant/bar - can't remember the name of it but it was fairly newly built and large. We were just looking for appetizer fare so we picked the bar rather than waiting an hour for a table. The air was turned up so high that within minutes our food (which was unremarkable) was cold and we rushed through our meal. Part of the reason was the band was warming up and we were basically asked to pay up for the cover charge or move out to make room for bar patrons.
We did kill some time wandering around Elizabethtown College (I'm an '86 grad) and my husband really liked the campus. If we had more time, I would have chosen to try the Mexican place but I'll have to save that for our next visit.
Once at Mt. Joy, I met up with my husband and daughter at Rocky Acres, a kid-friendly B&B/working farm. We enjoyed our huge breakfast and had little need for lunch. We did hit the General Store for munchies and the Roots Farmer's market which was alot of fun. We met another family at the B&B and took the chance on the biergarten at Bube's Brewery. It was late Sunday afternoon, wings were 12 for $3, beer was cheap and our kids were reasonably well-behaved. The adults had a great time, the staff was very good with the kids and it was a good experience overall. We did have one dinner at Country Table although I have to admit I wasn't starving...my husband tried to be good (dunno why) and he liked his ceasar salad but ended up blowing those saved calories on his brownie sundae! My daughter Ciara loved getting the token and going to the bakery to "buy" her cookie.
All in all, a great long weekend and I plan to head back to try the Tilted Kilt, McCleary's and Gringos next year. Thanks again.
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I would second both Country Table and Gus's.
Country table is one of a diminishing number of very good non-touristy Pennsylvania Dutch restaurants. It is very kid-friendly. Also their baked good are quite good.Gus's is a typical very well run greek diner. Of course since its in Lancaster County there are some Pennsylvania Dutch dishes thrown in but thats not their specialty. Probably my parents favorite diner.
In adamstown silk city diner- south on 272-is good. Have heard good things about the Black Horse in, but have not been in years.
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I second McCleary's in Marietta, and agree about the food at Bube's. I used to think the food in the casual bar was great, but it went downhill a few years ago. However, right in Mt. Joy, on Main street, is a place called The Tilted Kilt. I've been having some great food there lately. The Cheese Steak is awesome, as is the BLT. Fish and chips are good as well.
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re: centralpadiner
We've been pleasantly surprised with the place. Good casual food. My only complaint is that they use waffle fries (as does McClearys). If they would just serve hand cut regular fries, I would like the place that much more. Their wings are pretty good too, but I think I like McCleary's wings a little better. The Kilt makes a killer BLT if you are in the mood for one of those.
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re: sballard
Waffle fries just don't do it for me - I love me some Chick-Fil-A sandwiches but can't stand those waffle fries. And my Irish born husband said he never saw one waffle fry growing up, his generation had a pot full of oil on the stove always ready to go to fry up some cut up spuds.
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Honestly, Bube's used to be really good, but I think the food has gone downhill and the last time I was there was genuinely disappointed - but we were at the Alois' part of the restaurant, which is supposed to be the high-end dining. Haven't been in years to just enjoy pub grub, so can't speak to that if that's what you are looking for. Stoudt's has always been reliable, but living on the opposite end of the county (Mount Joy area) haven't been there in years - but am still hearing VERY good things. It sounds like you are specifically looking for brew pubs, but if that is not the case, and you just like good beer, I would consider McCleary's in Marietta, which is very close to Mount Joy. They don't brew anything, but have a pretty good selection of beers, great food and a fun atmosphere, esp. out on their deck. We go there quite often. My favorite thing on the menu is the tuna - my husband is partial to the crab cakes. If you have any other questions about the area, I'll answer what I can.
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re: centralpadiner
Actually, I'm not looking specifically for brew pubs. My trip is split in two - the first few days (Adamstown) will be with a girls' weekend (40somethings) who all appreciate both fine dining and casual food. The second part of the trip (Mt. Joy) will be meeting up with my husband and 4 year old daughter (who's been going out to restaurants with us since 2 weeks old - generally very behaved) while staying at a kid-friendly B&B.
I'm not sure we'd enjoy a smorgasbord unless it comes with raves from other Chowhounders - we just don't eat that much food to quantify the money, I guess...
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re: IndigoOnTheGo
When in Mt. Joy, I'd give the Tilted Kilt a try. My 4 year old likes it there. They also have a very nice outdoor seating area if the weather is nice. If you are looking for a good breakfast or diner food, Gus's diner is also in Mt. Joy. Its on 230 as you are heading west out of Mt. Joy. They have great diner food. If you want something more upscale, Alois's at Bubes Brewery would be good, as would Josephine's in Marietta. Josephine's is the better of the two, but much more expensive than Alois.
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re: IndigoOnTheGo
Smorgasbord??? Don't know where you got that idea, you won't get any recs for that from me, and Mount Joy doesn't have any .... but anyway, my kids are 6 & 8, and we have also been taking them to sit down places ...well, since they could sit. :) We go to McCleary's regularly as a family. Very enjoyable - relaxed but good food, esp. on the deck, for the kids if it is nice (they have portable heaters out there if there is a chill in the evening. It is quite easy to get to from Mount Joy. Where are you staying?
If you want local Dutchy type food, then the best around is not at any Lanc. Co. buffet, but at Country Table right in Mount Joy - it's just good home cooking, country food. The kind of stuff I grew up with, even if it isn't quite as good as moms. It's very kid friendly, one of my kids favorite places to eat because with the kid's meal they get a wooden nickel to trade in for a home baked snickerdoodle cookie at the adjacent bakery. And don't go early to try and avoid crowds LOL! it tends to have a very large "early bird special" type of crowd, if you know what I mean..... It's often thinning out by 6:30!
BTW - I would definitely skip Bube's with a 4 y.o. - not the place for her at all.
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re: centralpadiner
That comment about the smorgasbord wasn't directed at you, Centralpadiner :) I just wanted to clarify what kind of food we'd be interested in and I assumed (perhaps wrongly) that smorgasbord might be considered "touristy" and therefore offered as a routine suggestion for the area.
Country Table, McCleary/s and Tilited Kilt sounds they might be worth trying. My husband is from Ireland and will enjoy checking out the area. Keep the recs coming!
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re: IndigoOnTheGo
No offense taken, but let it be known that a self-respecting local and true chowhound (IMNSHO) would be as likely to recommend one of those "touristy smorgasbords" as a Philly native would tell a visitor that Pat's or Geno's is the best place in all of Philly to get a cheese steak. :)
Not sure what other recs you might want. Be aware that the restaurant at Stoudt's is named "Black Angus" because that is what they serve - not the only thing they have by any means, but definitely a steak focused place. I love red meat and beer, so it would be a perfect night out for me, but wanted to make sure you knew. I've never actually eaten at the pub. If you are looking to stay in Adamstown and do some antiquing as well as eating and drinking - enjoy! If you want other ideas for girls nights out, I would probably direct you into Lancaster City, which has lots of fun places.
With the kids in tow, we tend to make the rounds among a few standards besides Country Table and McCleary's.
Fiorentino's - italian
Cafe East - Chinese, Thai, Sushi
Isaac's - a local chain deli with fun sandwiches, among other things
El Rodeo - mexican - although our new favorite for mexican is Gringo's, very close to us in Elizabethtown and open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.Have a great trip, let us know if you have any other questions!
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re: sballard
Go to the square in E-town and take a left. It's on the right hand side. There are public parking lots on both side of Market St. just a little past the restaurant. We've been enjoying it, and are now recognized when we go in. :) I am no expert on "authentic" Mexican cuisine, so I can't attest to that, but I love the huevos rancheros for breakfast - which is not the super saucy thing I am used to and the "mexifries" are yummy, home fries with roasted poblano chilies. For dinner I tend toward the chiles rellenos or tacos carnitas - they have tongue on certain days of the week. It is a small place, and very homey and friendly - the owner now knows my son, and his usual order. It is pretty much the polar opposite of El Rodeo or El Serrano (which we also like, but don't find to be as kid friendly).
Gringos just opened this past year, and is a great addition to the very sad E-town food scene.-
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re: IndigoOnTheGo
Well, this is a first as far as "diversity" for E-town, but they seem to be doing well so far and I see large groups of college kids in there periodically. I really hope they make it.
I have many family members and a couple of friends who graduated from the college "a long time ago <cough, cough>" . . . classes of '63, '89, '91, '92, '94 . . . I think those would be the years.... all of them still live in the area, and my cousin and her husband now live in E-town right down the road from me.... something they NEVER thought they'd do! LOL! Honestly, I often feel like you would never know it was a college town - we need more businesses like Gringos to attract them into the community. But it is a nice place to raise a family. No complaints other than the lack of dining options... well, almost no complaints. :)
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re: centralpadiner
I made it to Gringo's this weekend. I really enjoyed it. Its a great alternative to El Rodeo (which I like, but feels like a mexican food factory pumping out the food) and El Serrano (which I also like, but it almost feels to upscale for Mexican). I also like the fact that unilke Rodeo and Serraono, it isn't crowded, its easy to get to, and parking is not a problem.
We orderded the chips/salsa to start. They make their own chips, which is nice. But, the first order of chips we recieved I could tell had been fried a while ago and had been sitting around. But, they must not have been all that bad because we finished them. The second basket of chips was fresh from the fryer and excellent. I found the salsa to be a bit on the mild side, but very tasty. I think they must use dried/smoked chilis, which gives it a nice smooth texture and smokey flavor which I enjoyed. To spicen things up a bit, I added some of the hot sauce at the table.
I had the tocas carnitas. They were very good, and served in some very nice soft corn tortillas. The only thing I would have liked would have been a wedge of fresh lime to sprinkle on top. They were served with a sauce on the side. I'm not really sure what was in it, but it went really well with the carnitas.
I also had a chicken tamale. This was very good as well. I really liked the green chili sauce they served on top.
My wife had carne asada. It was good, but she felt the beef could have used some more spice. As well as the rice/beans. Each could have used some more seasoning.
All and all I really enjoyed it. Every now and then I get a taste for a taco, or tamale, and it is nice to have this place as an option. I will say that when we were there on Saturday night, it wasn't very crowded. There was one other couple when we got there, and another couple came in while we were eating. This was around 6:30-7:30 pm on a Saturday night. I think the food would benefit from a little more turnover.
The couple next to us got th enchiladas. They looked excellent and I think that is what I'm going to try next time we go.
Thanks for the heads up on this place!
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re: sballard
Glad you enjoyed, and sorry to hear they were so quiet. They get a decent breakfast business, so if you are ever in the mood for something a little unusual in the morning, I recommend. Of course, they would could also use a liquor license, but, this is PA.... We are introducing it to some friends on Tuesday, and want to ask them about BYO.
I can guarantee that had you wanted a lime you'd have gotten one, no problem - definitely let them know if you need anything, we have found them accommodating, though it does sometimes depend upon the English skills of the server.
I agree about your assessments of the other Mexican options in the area, and that Gringos is a nice alternative. Also, considering the other options, it is our current fave here in E-town. -
re: sballard
Been reading this post, and had to comment on what is IMO the best true Mexican food place in the area - Cocina Mexicana
It's in downtown Lancaster, on the first block of N. Queen Street, just up from the
Fulton Opera theater. Great food, very inexpensive, and wonderful staff.
Just a very small operation, but top rated quality. Give it a try next time your in Lanc.
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