Restaurants in or near Hershey – Our Five Favorites Plus One
- The Circular at The Hotel Hershey
- The Mill Restaurant
- Devon Seafood + Steak
- What If… of Hershey
- Piazza Sorrento
- Troegs Tasting Room and Snack Bar
Here are five of our favorite restaurants in Hershey, within 15 minutes of the Inn at Westwynd Farm. They are unique to the south central Pennsylvania area aside from Devon Seafood + Steak, which has restaurants in a few other locations.
An upscale casual atmosphere will be found at all of our favorites, and the cuisine mostly falls into the contemporary American category — although Devon’s menu centers on seafood, and Piazza Sorrento is all about classic regional Italian dishes and is known for its extensive gluten-free menu.
The five restaurants are open daily for lunch and dinner with a few exceptions: The Circular offers lunch on Fridays and Saturdays only and it is limited to a buffet; What If… doesn’t serve lunch on Sundays; and Piazza is closed Sundays, but the pizza and sub shop Mr. Sorrento’s, which is accessed through the Piazza restaurant, is open. Sunday brunch is available at The Circular, Devon, and The Mill.
Since these are among the area’s most popular restaurants, reservations are recommended. Casual dress is acceptable for most. The dress code at The Circular specifies no tank tops for men, no graphic T-shirts, and no hats; denim that is not torn or faded and dress shorts are permitted.
For those dining with a group or hosting an event, a private room can be arranged at all five favorites.
Also, there are benefits to being a guest of the Inn at Westwynd Farm: a 10 percent discount at The Mill and one appetizer free of charge at Devon.
The Circular at The Hotel Hershey
100 Hotel Road, Hershey, 717-534-8800 (reservations required)
Lunch Buffet: Friday and Saturday, noon to 2 pm
Sunday Brunch: noon to 2:30 pm
Dinner: Monday through Saturday, 5 to 9:30 pm; Sunday, 6 to 9:30 pm
Happy Hour: Daily, 5 to 6:30 pm
Choose The Circular for its:
- Impressive reputation — The Circular has maintained a AAA Four Diamond rating since 1988 and was one of eight restaurants in the Northeast to win an Achievement of Excellence Award from the American Culinary Federation in 2014.
- Elegant setting — The hotel is a member of Historic Hotels of America and one of four Pennsylvania hotels earning the Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star rating in 2015.
- Exceptional wine list — It earned a 2015 Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator, which lists selections numbering 550 and French and California wines as strengths.
- Signature cocktails — Classic, contemporary, and chocolate libations are crafted by certified mixologists at the circular bar in the center of the dining room.
- Exquisite desserts — Skilled pastry chefs prepare dreamy confections at the central bar while diners look on. A local restaurant critic picked The Circular as one of her favorite spots for dessert in the region in 2015.
- Legendary brunch buffet on Sundays — It’s best to make reservations well in advance.
- Appetizers and small plates — There’s no shortage of options, including favorites like lobster bisque and cocoa-dusted scallops, for those with smaller appetites.
- Imaginative semicircular layout — Per Hershey Chocolate Company founder Milton S. Hershey’s instructions to the architect, no corners or columns obstruct the view for diners.
- Longevity — The restaurant, originally called the Circular Dining Room, was built in 1933 during the construction of the hotel.
- Proximity to the Inn at Westwynd Farm and the Hershey Gardens — It’s a three-mile drive to the inn, and the entrance to The Hotel Hershey is located opposite the Gardens entrance.
810 Old West Chocolate Avenue, Hershey, 717-256-9965
Lunch/Dinner: Monday through Thursday, 11 am to 9 pm; Friday and Saturday, 11 am to midnight; Sunday, 10 am to 8 pm
Sunday Brunch: 10 am to 3 pm
Happy Hour: Monday through Friday, 4:30 to 6:30 pm, bar and high-top tables only
Benefit for guests of the Inn at Westwynd Farm: 10 percent discount
Choose The Mill Restaurant for its:
- Past life — Dating to 1914, the brick and limestone building known as the Curry Feed Mill served as a warehouse, a mill, and a store selling flour, grain, feed, coal, and heating oil.
- Thoughtful reinvention — A strong connection to the building’s architectural history survives because the owners opted to keep its structural integrity intact in the dining areas and build an addition to house the kitchen, elevator, and restrooms.
- One-of-a-kind look and feel — From sleek and modern to rustic to industrial, the design spotlights inlaid glass doors, zinc bar tops, brick and stacked stone walls, iron spindles, copper tiles, metal ducts, and lots of wood (much is reclaimed lumber from the original structure) — posts, beams, plank walls, doors, and the staircase.
- Fresh, seasonal “melting pot” menu — Current offerings include deviled eggs, house-pulled mozzarella with heirloom tomato and basil, house-cured bacon, fried chicken with rosemary waffles, sesame-crusted ahi tuna noodle bowl, seared sea scallops with sage and cheddar grits, and duck breast with butternut squash risotto.
- Outdoor dining — Patio seating at umbrella tables is available on the lower level, adjoining the parking lot and adjacent to the train tracks.
- Entertainment options — Live music performances and other events take place on the third floor on select Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings.
- Three floors of dining — Each level has a distinctive tone and layout as well as its own bar area with televisions.
- Loft lounge — The top floor provides a spot to relax and survey the building from a new perspective.
- “By the tracks” location — One mile from downtown Hershey, it’s bordered by Old West Chocolate Avenue in front and railroad tracks in back.
- Immediate success — Recipient of Harrisburg Magazine’s Readers’ Choice award for best new restaurant in 2015, The Mill opened in September 2014 and appeared on a local restaurant critic’s year-end top 10 list just two months later.
27 West Chocolate Avenue, Hershey, 717-508-5460
Lunch: Daily, 11 am to 4 pm
Sunday Brunch: 10 am to 3 pm
Dinner: Monday through Thursday, 4 to 10 pm; Friday and Saturday, 4 to 11 pm; Sunday, 3 to 10 pm
Happy Hour: Monday through Friday and Sunday, 4:30 to 6:30 pm, bar and high-top tables only; Saturday, 1 to 3 pm, entire restaurant
Benefit for guests of the Inn at Westwynd Farm: one appetizer free of charge
Choose Devon Seafood + Steak for its:
- Fresh seafood — The Seafood Mixed Grill entrée allows diners to sample the shrimp, scallops, salmon, and jumbo lump crab cakes; other dishes feature calamari, clams, king crab legs, lobster, mussels, oysters, and tuna.
- Variety of simply prepared fish — The menu is updated daily to highlight the freshest available fish, such as barramundi from New Zealand, mahi mahi from Hawaii, halibut from Alaska, swordfish from Block Island, haddock from Massachusetts, and rainbow trout from Pennsylvania.
- Jumbo lump crab cakes — Served with creole remoulade and mango tartar sauce, they were named the region’s best crab cakes in 2014 by a local restaurant critic.
- Surf and turf options or just steak — Steaks include center-cut filet mignon, Kansas City strip, and bone-in ribeye.
- Notable collection of wine — It earned a 2015 Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator, which lists selections numbering 160 and California wines as a strength.
- Convenient downtown location – The Hershey Story museum resides next door and the Hershey Theatre sits across the street.
- Century-old building — Completed in 1916, the Hershey Press Building was renovated and its original façade restored in 2005; it received the Hershey–Derry Township Historical Society’s Preservation Award in 2007.
- Local following — It garnered three Simply the Best awards (seafood, service, and power dinner) from Harrisburg Magazine in 2015.
- Critical success — Praising the seafood, service, biscuits, desserts, and Sunday brunch, a local restaurant reviewer selected Devon as one of her top five favorite restaurants in south central Pennsylvania in 2014.
845 East Chocolate Avenue, Hershey, 717-533-5858
Lunch/Dinner: Monday through Thursday, 11 am to 11 pm; Friday and Saturday, 11 am to midnight; Sundays, 4 to 11 pm, dinner only
Happy Hour: Daily, 4:30 to 6:30 pm
Choose What If… of Hershey for its:
- Eclectic American cuisine — Pan-seared scallops, fried calamari, and hand-cut steaks are among its signature dishes; the current menu also offers several pasta dishes, chicken and seafood entrees, plus veal and pork options.
- Small plates and specialty salads — The selection of small plates ranges from pierogies and pizza, to crab martini and baked Brie, to buffalo shrimp and bone-in short rib bites. Salads include wedge, arugula, spinach, Caesar, Greek, Gorgonzola, and watermelon and can be topped with shrimp, scallops, tuna, salmon, jumbo lump crab, lollipop lamb chops, or sesame chicken; there are seven house-made dressings plus six house-made vinaigrettes.
- Plentiful desserts — The hot fudge peanut profiterole is a favorite, but the kitchen abounds with sweet creations: from brownies, cobblers, pies, and cakes, to paris-brest, tiramisu, mousse, and crème brûlée, to ice cream, sorbet, and gelato.
- Martini menu — The house specialty is a fruit-infused vodka martini; also listed are vanilla watermelon, pomegranate, summer punch, sour cherry, grapefruit, and sweet and sour, as well as three gin martinis (French cat, Negroni, and basil smash) and four dessert martinis (vanilla cream caramel, white chocolate raspberry, espresso, and chocolate).
- Romantic ambiance — The What If… restaurant qualifies as a hidden gem: After the unremarkable hotel exterior, the stairs to the lower level, and the front-room bar with televisions, diners will discover a large, welcoming dining area that’s divided into smaller, more intimate sections filled with candle-lit tables and booths.
16 Briarcrest Square, Hershey, 717-835-1919
Lunch/Dinner: Monday through Wednesday, 11 am to 9:30 pm; Thursday through Saturday, 11 am to 10 pm; Sundays, closed, but Mr. Sorrento’s pizza and sub shop (at the same address) is open from noon to 9 pm
Happy Hour: Daily, 4:30 to 6 pm
Choose Piazza Sorrento for its:
- Classic Italian cuisine — Piazza Sorrento’s menu is built on the family recipes of one of its owners, Anna Maria Collura, who was born and raised in Sicily. Her homemade ricotta cheesecake is a favorite.
- Pizza — The hand-tossed pizzas can be simple (Traditional, White, and Old World), focused on vegetables (Margherita, Mediterranean, and Vegetarian), or topped with meat (Arugula, Prosciutto, Pecorino; Meat Lovers; Buffalo Chicken). The Woodsman, which is layered with sausage, pepperoni, prosciutto, mushrooms, black olives, roasted red peppers, and mozzarella cheese, was named by a local restaurant critic as one of her favorite pizzas in the region in 2015.
- Gluten-free menu — The gluten-free menu is extensive, listing all 10 pizzas that appear on the regular menu plus five salads, five subs, and seven desserts. There are eight appetizers (bruschetta, eggplant involtini, baked crab dip, clams, garlic shrimp with crostini, ahi tuna, prosciutto mozzarella crostini, and Pete’s grand appetizer), eight lunch entrees, and 16 dinner entrees, including lasagna, five cheese ravioli, chicken Alfredo, penne Bolognese, garlic shrimp pasta, fettuccini with spicy crab, chicken or veal piccata, and chicken or veal Marsala.
- Italian wines — Vineyards in the Abruzzo, Apulia, Emilia-Romagna, Liguria, Piedmont, Sicily, Trentino–South Tyrol, Tuscany, and Veneto regions of Italy supply the majority of the wines served at Piazza Sorrento.
- Neighborhood feel — Residing in a shopping complex and adjoining a gas station, Piazza Sorrento doesn’t necessarily make a great first impression. However, inside, there’s a comfortable atmosphere in both the front room, which offers a few tables plus bar seating with televisions, and the main dining area with booths and tables.
Troegs Tasting Room and Snack Bar
200 East Hersheypark Drive, Hershey, 717-534-1297
Sunday through Wednesday, 11 am to 9 pm; Thursday through Saturday, 11 am to 10 pm
And just for fun, don’t miss Troegs Brewing Company, a local craft brewery that focuses on seasonal and specialty beers. The current brewery tap list includes Master of Pumpkins (brewed with neck pumpkins harvested a few miles from the brewery), Dead Reckoning Porter (the flavor of which begins with chocolate and roasted malts), and year-round favorite Troegenator Double Bock (a 2014 Great American Beer Festival gold medal winner).
The snack bar, offering plenty of picnic table seating, features an unexpected menu, with items like root cellar vegetable chips with walnut salt and smoked cream cheese; duck confit with Yukon Gold pancake, braised red cabbage, cider glaze, and slab bacon; and porchetta on maple sweet potato roll with apple butter, endive sauerkraut, Amish cheddar, and hop fries.
The Troegs brewery in Hershey opened in 2011 after being relocated from Harrisburg. Tours are available every day of the week. In 2015, Troegs earned Harrisburg Magazine’s Simply the Best award for local beer and Susquehanna Style’s Best of Harrisburg award for best brewery.