Small town Americana: Pennsylvania

Posted on by Andrea

Every now and again I get this itch to explore… to discover new restaurants, breweries, artisanal boutiques, and specialty shops. I love good food, craft beer, film, art, and am a sucker for anything “independent” with an enchanting, yet distinct atmosphere. It’s so easy to fall in love with establishments and eatery’s in a large city, but searching for one of a kind shops and restaurants in a small town is similar to embarking on a quest—and oh how great it is when you find your niche in a small unfamiliar place. Below are some cities near Scranton that make great day trips, accompanied by highly regarded suggestions to places to visit, eat, and drink.

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Food & Drinks-

The bookstore is a prohibition speakeasy that serves American cuisine and cocktails reminiscent of the 1920’s—the cocktails are handcrafted and made with pure love. While listening to live jazz (on the weekends), sipping on your boozy bev, and gazing at your sweetheart by candlelight surrounded by books, be sure to take in the gorgeous antiquey décor.

Bethlehem Brew Works is family owned, environmentally conscious, and delights in brewing award-winning beer. Their food is above average pub fare, but is sourced locally and from farms that emphasize the importance of free range, pasteurized grass fed meat.

Entertainment-

The Frank Banko Alehouse Cinema is a theater with 2 screens in the ArtsQuest Center at the SteelStacks. It primarily shows foreign and independent films.

The Banana Factory (formerly a banana distribution warehouse) is the home to 30 studio artists, three galleries and multiple classrooms. To see the current exhibits, classes offered and events visit: http://www.bananafactory.org/artists/

Easton, Pennsylvania

Food & Drinks-

Greenmouth Juice Bar & Café conjures up organic super food smoothies (with homemade almond milk or cashew milk), smoothie bowls, and smoothies for kids, organic cold pressed juices, fresh squeezed lemonades, and coffee and tea beverages. In addition, they offer vegan, gluten free, and raw eats…perfect for lunch or a little snack.

Weyerbacher’s taproom is a part of their brewing and bottling facility. They have some high top seating available, but the tasting area is predominately tailored around visitors socializing, tasting, and walking around to admire their décor and retail items. On the weekends, the taproom features a visiting food truck from either the Easton area or surrounding cities…even our local Peculiar Culinary food truck has visited the taproom!

Two Rivers Brewing Company is located in a historic renovated building that screams old-time Americana with an original tin ceiling, a 1920s Zenith Radio, original flooring, and a hotel mailbox/key area that adds to the ambiance of the brewery. As for the pub fare, I can’t speak for any of the entrees, but I did sample some of their appetizers, and a lot of their beer, and everything was delicious and fresh–farm to table comfort gourmet food!

Ocean is a new American restaurant (despite the name) and their food, drinks, and service is impeccable. The atmosphere is very new wave, and offers a ‘cool’ downtown vibe.

3rd & Ferry Fish Market is a great dining locale or even a pre-dinner drink spot. Their menu features a prix fixe option, a ceviche section, a raw bar, along with your more standard dinner entrees (chicken, beef, etc). What stands out to me is their drink menu and raw bar menu…they have a great draft beer selection with 16 rotating taps and a pretty stellar cocktail menu!

Allentown, Pennsylvania

Food, Drinks, & Entertainment-

  • Bridgeworks Enterprise Center
    905 Harrison St.
    Allentown, PA 18103

Visiting the Bridgeworks Enterprise Center is a must. It’s located at 905 Harrison Street and it can’t be missed—the 64,000 square-foot Bridgeworks Enterprise Center is the only business incubator in the Lehigh Valley dedicated primarily to manufacturing startups and is the home to three delicious beverage centers. It houses The Colony Meadery, the HiJinx Brewing Company, and County Seat Spirits.

  • The Colony Meadery (Suite 115) is a tasting room that offers tasting flights, mead on draft and by the bottle, mead slushies, and regularly scheduled tours. Their mead buzzes with flavor and their staff is very knowledgeable about the dos and don’ts of mixing the mead to make mead infused cocktails. The Colony Meadery is open Friday (4pm-8pm), Saturday (12pm-6pm), and Sunday (12pm-5pm).
    http://www.colonymeadery.com/
  • The HiJinx Brewing Company (Suite 111) is an impressive brewery that offers free flights as you hang out in their garage style tasting room surrounded by their holding tanks. They encourage you to hang out in their relaxed picnic style garage by having a food truck available right outside the garage doors, a Bluetooth public radio system so you can play your favorite tunes, and some cards available in case you’re in the mood to play some Slapjack. The tap room hours are Friday (4pm-9pm), Saturday (12pm-5pm), and Sunday (12pm-4pm).
    http://hijinxbrewing.com/
  • County Seat Spirits (Suite 128) prides itself on being a true “grain to glass” distillery (one which performs the entire process from milling raw grains on site, mashing, fermenting, distilling and aging). County Seat Spirits produces whiskeys, gin, rum and vodka using the finest ingredients they can find. Additionally, all of County Seat’s spirits are distilled at least two times to ensure quality then they are diluted to the optimal proof with pure reverse osmosis water and then bottled in Anchor Hocking bottles manufactured in Monaca, Pennsylvania. The distillery is open on Friday (4pm-8pm), Saturday (12pm-6pm), and Sunday (12pm-4pm).
    http://www.countyseatspirits.com/ 
  • Fegley’s Allentown Brew Works
    812 West Hamilton St.
    Allentown, PA 18101

Fegley’s Allentown Brew Works is owned by the Fegley’s family and is operated like the Bethlehem Brew Works. As previously stated, they offer quality, award-winning craft brews and delicious food while remaining ethically committed to using 100% renewable energy sources and all-natural, sustainable ingredients.

Williamsport, Pennsylvania 

 Food & Drinks-

Barrel 135 is a trendy gastro pub located in downtown Williamsport that has a metropolitan vibe; adorned on the interior brick walls during my visit were canvases of abstract art from local artists and a little patio with quaint patio furniture. Barrel 135 only serves foods grown and/or raised in Pennsylvania and has an extensive beer, wine, and cocktail menu. The rotating drafts are also all from Pennsylvania breweries.

Bullfrog Brewery & Restaurant offers locally and regionally sourced foods (often organic) and an array of delicious and artfully crafted beers. In addition, to the food and drinks, the Bullfrog also features live original music.

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 

Food, Drinks, & Entertainment-

The Broad Street Market (fashioned like the Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia) is home to many vendors who sell fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables, meats, and baked goods. There are also many authentic and ethnic food vendors who sell affordable meals at their booths that you can eat in the market or take home.

Home 231 is a cozy little spot nestled by the capitol building. Home 231 has a pleasant and relaxing atmosphere with Edison bulbs, bud vases and votives, and exposed brick. Home 231 is a great lunch or dinner spot with comforting yet new age cuisine.

The Millworks is positioned in Midtown Harrisburg across the street from the Broad Street Market. The Millworks is a large brick building that has been renovated to accommodate work studios and galleries for local artists in addition to their featured restaurant (which is set in the middle of all of the studios on the main floor). The Millworks serves locally and regionally sourced and sustainable foods, and has a menu full of original dishes. Their beer menu is also full of regional brews!

Zeroday Brewing Company is a small batch brewery that serves their beer in pints or as a flight, and offers other Pennsylvania wines and ciders. The Zeroday Brewing Company showcases local art and music from local musicians and has a great partnership with the Midtown Cinema which is adjacent to the brewery. The Midtown Cinema allows for patrons to bring in crowlers (a 32 ounce can) of their favorite draft beer from the brewery. I highly suggest the Dolce Vita, a hazelnut chocolate sweet stout. YUM!

The Midtown Scholar Bookstore is situated in a beautifully restored building and has an atmosphere that is warm, friendly, and very welcoming. The Midtown Scholar Bookstore is an independent bookstore that has a vast number of books for adults and children and is home to a quaint little café that sells artisanal coffee and teas.

Water Golf on City Island is a mini golf course that is positioned on the backside of City Island near the Susquehanna River—while playing you’ll have great views of the river!

Hershey, Pennsylvania 

  • Tröegs Brewing Company
    200 East Hersheypark Dr.
    Hershey, PA 17033
    www.troegs.com/ 

Tröegs Brewing Company has amazing craft beer (including their exclusive scratch series), impressive cuisine made with locally sourced ingredients, and an environment that begs to be categorized as industrial. I HIGHLY recommend their poutine…I can’t get enough of it. Alas, before you sample too much beer at Tröegs save some room for beer at the Pizza Boy Brewing Company in Enola, PA. Though I have yet to go (because I usually drink too much at Tröegs) I have had their beer and it’s phenomenal.

Happy travels my fellow adventurers! 

 

 

 

 

 

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