Dinner Stop needed - I-78/81 Lebanon to Carlisle area

[jen kalb]

Travelling from NYC to Ohio via I-78 to PA turnpike. This time we will probably be stopping for dinner somewhere between the I-81/78 merge and Carlisle or Blue Mountain - any suggestions of places serving good food reasonably near the highway would be great, diner pub, indian, central american, anything. We've had rather unexciting experiences in our explorations of this area in the past. Need a place where a vegetarian will not starve also.

[David W]

I travel this route, too. My favorite stop is further along than you are requesting-do you know the Summit Diner in Somerset? The pie is especially nice.

There's a place just before Harrisburg that's caught my eye, but I have no personal experience eating there-
http://www.finecasualdining.com/

Please post back with what you find, good or bad...I'm always in search of places to stop along here, too.

[jen kalb]

thanks for the response, David! We stop at Summit Diner almost every trip (we wound up breakfasting there this time, I had my favorite Reuben for breakfast) but so far no pies. Im going to put up a post with all our recent experience going across 78/81/76/70 (the part of PA on our primary route from NY to Ohio) in the last couple years when I get a chance.

[cstuart78]

On our drive from the midwest to New York, we were thrilled to find many positive reviews on CH about the Summit Diner. It was cute enough, but the food was mediocre at best. We tried several menu items: the chili wasn't good and came out cold; the meatloaf tasted like cardboard and the accompanying mashed potatoes couldn't have possibly been fresh. Perhaps the pie would have been good but we didn't stick around to find out.

[jen kalb]

we do like the summit diner but I usualy pick stuff like the rueben and grilled cheese sandwiches and breakfast fare, which they do well. I doubt the pies - there is so little good pie around. chili is not a central Pa item.. unfortunately we have found very little excellent diner food on that drive and it is not getting better. A very nice meal can be had in Donegal at the Out of the Fire restaurant, but more expensive, pleasant and BYO.

[CrazyOne]

Yeah, it's a little hit or miss. Some of the pies are quite good though. I had a hot turkey sandwich (on the specials board) on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, and that was great (especially given that I was coming back from a nontraditional dinner and missed the turkey a little more than I thought). And pumpkin pie which measured up pretty well to the excellent one I had a couple days before. On our one earlier stop I seem to remember the blackberry pie fondly. The more traditional fare the better, I suspect.

[John G.]

Last week we stayed over night in Carlisle. My wife found the North Hanover Grille advertised in the hotel directory. She called to ask if we needed reservations, which we did not. When she finished the call, she said it sounded like there was a crowd there. We decided to give it a try. They are located on North Hanover street about a mile west of Hanover street exit on I-81.
What a great local pub. They had a large menu and a number of daily specials. We split an order of chicken wings. They were big and meaty, we ordered them medium, which was just the right amount of heat for us. Then we both had a cheese burger. We both agreed the burgers were among the best we ever had. They also have an extensive beer selection. The service was very friendly. If we lived in Carlisle, we would be regulars visitors. For dessert they offered a toffee pudding cake, which we did not try being full from dinner. http://www.northhanovergrille.com/

[foodhunter1214]

I thought this restaurant was disgusting. The food was dry and service was terrible. If you want beer.. go down the street to the market cross pub. They have hundreds to choose from. The burgers at hanover grille are not amazing. They are not even sub par. If you are in for just a boring meal to fill your stomach, go to north hanover grille. if you want something better, look somewhere else!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[alanalb]

All can be accessed from I-81 exits in order, although most are a few miles off the highway - but probably worth it given the near the exit options
:
If you take the 934 South/Annville exit and travel a few miles, there is an old "Inn" on your right called Harper's Tavern. It will probably be the best option in the Lebanon area for food (unless you want PA Dutch variety). Linglestown Rd exit - Sasha's Hideaway that David W mentioned is good - and has several veg options. From the Progress Ave exit you can head south @ 2 miles to the intersection with Rt 22/Walnut Street. A left at the light will bring you to (in quick succession) Okini Asian Fusion/Sushi and Aangan (Indian). Both are veg friendly. If you take the exit for S Front St in Harrisburg and travel all the way to the end of the city (probably @5 miles) there is a good Indian restaurant on your right (at the very last stop light) called Passage to India. 2nd street in Harrisburg (access from the Front St exit - both are one ways through the city) has a plethora of options for dinner - Arepa (South American) is very good & inexpensive.

After you cross over the Susquehanna River, your options are slim until Carlisle. There is a well liked Italian restaurant off the Rt 114 exit on Wertzville Rd called Visaggio's. More upscale and a little pricey. In Carlisle, I would recommend The Back Door Cafe for soup/salad/sandwiches, Cafe Bruges is a new Belgium style pub (not sure on veg options), Rillos (1950s mood & Italian), or the California Cafe.

[cheesemaestro]

I live close to Sasha's Hideaway. I can't say that I would go out of my way to eat there. The food is just OK, although it may have improved since the last time I was there (a few years ago.) From I-81 S, it's probably easier to get off at the Rte. 39 exit and turn right onto Linglestown Road. From there it's a straight shot to Sasha's about 3 miles down the road.

Aangan and Okini are both good. However, your directions need updating. The exit to take for these restaurants is off of I-83, not I-81, At the I-81/83 split, you need to stay to the left and merge onto I-83 S, get immediately into the right lane and get off at the first exit, which is no longer called Progress Avenue, but rather Jonestown Road. Turn right at the exit. Both Aangan and Okini are on the right side about a mile and a half or so down the road. You'll see Aangan first. Passage to India is also a very good Indian restaurant, but will take the OP further out of the way. Visaggio's has gotten very pricey. IMO it's way too expensive for what they serve and it is resting on its past laurels. An option for Italian in the Harrisburg area is Gabriella's. Follow the directions for Aangan/Okini by getting off at the Jonestown exit on I-83. Turn right and the restaurant is about a quarter mile down on the left.

I think that Carlisle may be the OP's best bet for a variety of interesting places that are not too far off the highway. In addition to the restaurants there that have already mentioned, there's Issei Noodle (Asian Fusion), The Green Room (local, fresh foods), Argane (Moroccan), Piatto (Italian), California Cafe (American) and the Market Cross Pub (pub fare with an excellent selection of beers). All of these are located in the downtown area of Carlisle. To be sure, there are also a lot of choices in or near downtown Harrisburg (such as Arepa), but they are further from I-81.

Update an hour later: i just realized that the majority of posts in this thread are from earlier this year, so my recommendations will not be of help to the OP. Perhaps they will help another traveler taking the same route, as this question has come up before on CH. To alanalb: Seeing the date of post, your direction to get off at Progress Ave. was correct at the time, so my apologies. I think that it was just after that that the exit was reconstructed and renamed Jonestown Road.

[jen kalb]

Really appreciate the updates since we drive this route several times a year.Havent yet stopped in this stretch yet except at the Middlesex diner (mediocre) and at a few places up by Lebanon. Heisey's on Rte 72, Esther's on Rte 22, Fredricksburg, and Kum Esse (last for breakfast - nothing to write home about). I like these traditional places with their white-haired customers but the food can be spotty, some good local dishes tho, a "corn pie" with chopped hardboiled egg iffered by the first two places,Look out if you ask for gravy - it could be a bright yellow cornstarch thickened jell substance - the croquettes at Esther's theoretically interesting are too dry. Decent potpie, tho and a convenient stop off 78 right before the 81 merge. Ive forgotten about the pies though with their fake whipped topping instead of meringue or whipped cream after a single try. Wouldlike to know about something better in Lebanon, since the town is attractive.

[cheesemaestro]

You're welcome, Jen. I'm always a bit hesitant to recommend restaurants in central PA to someone from NYC. Most of the places that I and others have mentioned are good, but certainly not of "knock your socks off" quality. But you are probably not looking for that when you are on an interstate.

I agree with your remarks about Esther's. It's frequently recommended to people traveling on I-78, but it's not special. It's fine for a quick stop, though. Be careful when you ask for pot pie in central PA. For most of us (I grew up elsewhere), pot pie is--well, a real pie with an upper and lower crust and a filling of chicken (occasionally beef), veggies and a tasty gravy. For the Pennsylvania Dutch, pot pie is something entirely different. It's broad noodles with bits of chicken. So when ordering pot pie, be sure to ask which kind they serve.

The Lebanon area isn't known for its restaurants. Lebanon's most highly respected restaurant is probably Trattoria Fratelli, an upscale Italian place that has been around a long time and has a loyal customer base. I confess to never having eaten there, although it's been on my list for years. Almost all of the reviews I've seen about it have been positive. A second place to consider in Lebanon is Niko's, which is on the top floor of the Lebanon Farmers Market. Neither of these places is a quick stop, and both will cost much more than a roadside establishment like Esther's.

[jen kalb]

Thanks! I am definitely not looking for the same thing travelling across the US as in NY. As a midwesterner, I do get homesick for pies and other traditional american foods, and have always respected the Pennsylvania regional cooks - though it seems to be harder and harder to find good examples of the cooking. Ive pretty much given up on pies, for example, except from a couple of places. We appreciate the varied reccs and hope to sample more in the future.