Lancaster City, Pennsylvania’s multi-faceted appeal includes a dynamic dining scene that abounds with local and global cuisines.
A rising at the time of the Reformation in 16th century Europe, the Anabaptist movement produced three similar spiritual groups, the Amish, Mennonites, and Brethren. Emerging from the Mennonites and named after hardline Anabaptist leader Jakob Ammann, the more conservative Amish were severely persecuted as heretics for their beliefs, which centered on a “Plain” lifestyle apart from larger society. Many fled to Switzerland and southern Germany, where they became largely landless tenant farmers.
Attracted by the “Holy Experiment” of religious freedom offered by English-born Quaker leader William Penn, the first significant wave of Amish and Mennonite immigrants came to Pennsylvania in the 1720s, settling in Berks and Lancaster Counties.
Named by John Wright, a Quaker settler from Lancaster, England, the latter was established in 1729. The following year, Hickory Town, settled in 1709 by German immigrants known as the Pennsylvania Dutch, was renamed Lancaster City and made the county seat. Serving as the U.S. capital for one day in September 1777 and as Pennsylvania’s capital from 1799 to 1812, this historic center 71 miles west of Philadelphia is among America’s oldest inland cities.
As I discovered on my recent introductory visit to the area, life goes on for America’s oldest Amish community in the fertile countryside of Lancaster County much as it has for the past three centuries, modern trappings and adaptations aside.
Lancaster City, though, was a complete revelation in terms of its scale, look, atmosphere, and personality. The Amish are here, but this is an urban destination where past and present co-exist in captivating streetscapes.
Build Your Own Crepe at Rachels Cafe Creperie
The diverse population includes an established LGBTQ community. Entertainment showcases include The Fulton Theatre, or “Grand Old Lady of Prince Street,” the nation’s oldest continuously operated theater from 1852. Eclectic shops, boutiques, and art galleries mingle with outdoor murals, pawn shops, corner grocery stores, and old school barber shops, including fifth-generation Segro’s from 1897. There’s even an adult book- store. The churches, alleyways, and exquisite, well-maintained homes of the leafy Lancaster City Historic District persuasively reflect the past along with obvious civic pride.
Signified by the second-busiest Amtrak station in Pennsylvania, Lancaster City’s popularity includes tourism, attracting visitors from across the Northeast, Mid- Atlantic, and beyond. The city and county have also emerged as one of the hottest retirement and relocation destinations in the U.S., spurring skyline-changing investments such the Mosaic, a glass high-rise with 146 residences and resort-style amenities for the 55 and older set slated for a 2027 opening in the heart of down- town Lancaster City.
The city’s multi-faceted appeal includes a dynamic dining scene that abounds with The Exchange Rooftop Bar and Lounge local and global cuisines. Concentrated in and surrounding the walkable downtown core, the parade of options includes upscale restaurants, casual eateries, cafes, coffee shops, pizzerias, breweries, and distilleries. Here are the highlights of my whirlwind visit, plus some inviting options for next time.
Laid out in 1730 by city founder Andrew Hamilton as an open 120- square-foot field where farmers sold their produce, Lancaster Central Market (23 North Market Street. Tel: 717-735-6890. centralmarketlancaster.com) was my natural starting point for exploring culinary Lancaster.
The plot proved instrumental in King George II’s designation of Lancaster as a market town. Adding rudimentary sheds in the 1750’s, the market evolved through time before taking up permanent residence in a magnificent Romanesque Revival style building opened in 1889.
Lancaster Marriott at Penn Square (Photo by Discover Lancaster)
Located by Penn Square, the city’s epicenter and historic focal point, the 294- year-old cradle of Lancaster’s food heritage, open Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday from 6 A.M. to 3 P.M., is the oldest continuously operated farmer’s market in the nation. The aisles are lined with some 60 “standholders” selling baked goods, fresh produce, prepared foods, specialty groceries, coffee, and more. I stopped by Kom Essa (“come eat” in Pennsylvania Dutch) for a delicious fresh-made break- fast sandwich and handmade soft pretzel.
Purveyors of top-quality farmstead goat cheeses, seventh-generation family-run Linden Dale Farms, from 1797, exemplifies the market’s historic farm-to-table ties, while Saife’s Middle Eastern Food, Nord Scandinavian Food & Hygge, and Homage: Cuisines of the West African Diaspora tell of Lancaster’s culinary diversity.
Southern Market exterior (Photos by Jeff Heilman)
Housed in another architecturally striking building one block south of Penn Square, the former Southern Market (1888) was recently reinvented as a culinary incubator with a food hall and 30-seat central bar. Back up the block, Lancaster Marriott Penn Square (25 South Queen Street. Tel: 717-239-1600. marriott.com), my base for the stay, is no ordinary corporate hotel. Seamlessly joined with the Lancaster County Convention Center, the two-tower, 416-room property rises from the beautifully preserved 19th century Beaux Arts façade of the former 1879 Watt & Shand department store. The hotel also incorporates the 1804 William H. Montgomery House, regarded by historians as one of Lancaster’s great Federal-style mansions, as an event space.
The convention center will soon integrate the home of 19th-century abolitionist and U.S. Congressman Thaddeus Stevens and his confidante, Black businesswoman Lydia Hamilton Smith. Slated for fall 2025, the venue will reemerge as an interpretive museum and education center with exhibit design by New York- based Ralph Appelbaum Associates, internationally renowned for projects including the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC.
Philadelphia-born executive chef Ryan McQuillan, whose hometown credentials include turns at legendary Le Bec-Fin under George Perrier and with Eric Ripert at the former 10 Arts Bistro within The Ritz- Carlton, Philadelphia, designed and runs the hotel’s culinary program.
Anchor venues include The Exchange (25 S. Queen Street. Tel: 717-207-4096. exchangeroof.com). Delivering tasty small bites and pizza along with craft cocktails, this energetic year-round indoor-outdoor lounge and bar atop the hotel’s 12-story second tower is Lancaster’s answer to Manhattan.
Seated in a comfy sofa by the open kitchen, facing a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows, my fun-filled first night started with a well-named Bloody Good Negroni of blood orange gin with cranberry-infused Campari and sweet vermouth.
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As the room filled with energy, music, and people, including the sunset crowd on the outdoor patio, I hit the “Exchangeables” menu for crispy Brussels sprouts with garlic hot honey, crispy pork belly bao buns, and Korean-fried cauliflower. My engaging and entertaining server added much color to the proceedings, which continued with a wood-fired mushroom pizza and finished outside with a negroni nightcap under the stars.
If ambling and taking in the scene is your speed, then Lancaster City is geared for leisurely shopping, browsing, photography, eating, and drinking expeditions. My full-day walkabout started with an in- house roasted coffee from New Holland Coffee (29 E. King Street. Tel: 717-459-9127. newhollandcoffee.com) by the hotel.
From there, it was a short walk to Building Character (342 N. Queen Street. Tel: 717-394-7201. buildingcharacter.biz). Founded in 2007 by local business leader Marty Hulse, this community-driven retail hub, the largest in the city, houses 50-plus vendors of vintage, recycled, and hand- made merchandise in the update of a 1900’s warehouse complex.
Incorporating the Heritage Press Museum, a recreated 1920’s printing office featuring demonstrations of letterpress printing, the warehouse forms part of the trendy 300 Block of North Queen Street (the300blockshops.com), a collection of retailers comprising vintage shops, a record store, boutiques, and more.
While attending Penn State University, Lancaster native Rachel Adams worked part-time in a creperie. Enamored by the famed French pancake, she returned home and opened Rachel’s Café & Creperie (201 W. Walnut Street. Tel: 717-399-3515. rachelscreperie.com). Lancastrians went wild for her fresh-spun, made-to-order crepes and you will too at her pretty break- fast and lunch spot, which features Parisian-inspired artwork and décor and a covered outdoor deck. Choose from multiple types of breakfast crepes; specialty versions like Thai chicken and Philly Cheese; build-your-own; and dessert crepes. Plus, smoothies and coffee. I went with the hand- held breakfast burrito crepe, Nutella dessert crepe, and Nutella hot chocolate, all delicious and most satisfying.
Thistle Finch Rye Whiskey (Photo by Jeff Heilman)
I was tempted to walk it off and come right back for lunch, but the spirits were calling a short walk away at Thistle Finch Distillery (417 West Grant Street. Tel: 717-947-7342 thistlefinch.com). Housed in a landmark former tobacco warehouse, this inviting venue is a classic showcase of the region’s deep agrarian lineage, relying almost exclusively on grains from Pennsylvania’s Lancaster and Lebanon Counties to produce award-winning products like the signature Small Batch White Rye Whiskey, along with Market Alley Gin, Penn Square Vodka, and a range of custom creations.
Saturday tours feature the mash tuns, hand-constructed copper pot still, and distillation process. The evocative trappings include a retail shop and Burley Bar & Restaurant. With the latter closed for a private event, I walked back to Penn Square for lunch at sibling Shot & Bottle (2 N. Queen Street. Tel: 717-617-2159. shotandbottle.com).
Occupying the ground floor of the landmark 1925 W.W. Griest Building, the space is a breath of fresh air, organized around a long central bar and featuring an array of hanging and potted plants. Thistle Finch and other Pennsylvania small batch spirits are the foundation for great cocktails such as the Lanc Old Fashioned and Spiced Espresso Martini. Incorporating fresh ingredients from a host of local and area suppliers, the food is excellent too, including the vegan flatbread, glazed salmon sandwich, and can’t miss cinnamon bun with cream cheese icing.
Central Market Near Penn Square (Photos by George Sheldon)
To recharge my appetite, I devoted the rest of the afternoon to a free- wheeling discovery of the restaurant-rich streets and blocks surrounding Lancaster Central Market. Enticing choices for return visits include Belvedere Inn (402 N Queen Street. Tel: 717-394-2422. belvederelancaster.com). Housed in Victorian Italianate-style mansion built in 1869 by a tobacco merchant to entertain his guests, this award-winning contemporary American draw includes an upstairs piano bar.
Founded in 1744 by Moravian immigrants from Germany, Steinman Hardware Store claims rights as the oldest hardware store in the nation. Today, the three-story cast iron and brick building built in 1886 on the same site is one of the finest Victorian Queen Anne-style structures in town.
As the New York Times noted in 2019, Lancaster City offers “a global feast in an unlikely spot.” Ethnic eateries include scrappy Trinidadian comfort food spot Callaloo; Nepalese-Indian Himalayan Curry & Grill; and third-generation family run Vietnamese Eatery Sprout (58 N. Prince Street. Tel: 717-392-7462. riceandnoodlesrestaurant.com).
French connections include C’est La Vie Bistro, Citronnelle, and Josephine’s Downtown. Refreshing stops for sweet treats and tea include Lancaster Cupcake and The Spice and Tea Exchange.
Beer is a Lancaster tradition dating to the area’s early German settlers. Hop head haunts including Lancaster Brewing Company (302 N. Plum Street. Penn Square Tel: 717-391-6258. lancasterbrewing. com/dine/lbc-brewery), serving pub grub and decadent brews such as the Double Chocolate Milk Stout and Shoo-Fly Pie Porter. Killer craft brews and punk rock irreverence are on tap at the casket- shaped Coffin Bar.
With just enough room left in the tank, I finished the day back at the hotel with dinner at Plough (25 S. Queen Street. Tel: 717-207-4095 ploughrestaurant.com). Featuring a large oval bar, spacious booth seating, and open kitchen, this spacious street-facing restaurant is McQuillan’s stage for a contemporary American menu that pays homage to Lancaster County’s rich agrarian heritage. In dishes including the spring panzanella salad, market vegetable succotash, and grilled Berkshire pork chop entrée, locally sourced radishes, bok choy, spring onions, strawberries, snap peas and other Lancaster-grown bounty bring freshness, color and flavor to the plate.
Did somebody say nightcap? Venturing into the night, I descended into sophisticated subterranean speakeasy-style Proof of Lancaster (30 N. Queen Street. Tel: 717-925-7770. prooflancaster.com) for a flight of George Dickel Whiskys and lively conversa- tion with locals at the bar. Featuring a well- curated menu of international spirits and wines and small plate fare, this atmospheric stone and brick cavern is proof alone of the many surprising and unexpected facets of Lancaster City’s culinary scene. You won’t go hungry or thirsty here!
