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For more than 70 years, a small-town grocery store has served generations of Pennsylvania families. Today, its owners are working to keep that tradition alive as thinning shelves and fierce competition threaten a familiar neighborhood landmark. The market still offers something larger chains cannot easily recreate: a butcher counter where...
Free chocolate milk refills are still a thing at one Old West-themed steakhouse. That detail alone made me grin. The chain behind it once had more than 700 restaurants across America. Now only about a dozen remain nationwide. Just one still stands in Pennsylvania, and people drive hours to reach...
One Pennsylvania burger hides mushrooms and onions inside the patty itself, then gets finished with Velveeta and a homemade hot mustard. I read that and immediately wanted to know who thought of it first. The surprises kept coming. Another spot on this list pairs smash burgers with birria tacos. A...
Goat, rabbit, and lamb sit right alongside chicken wings at one old butcher counter. Some shoppers drive hours just for the small turkey wings. The shop opened in 1929. That means it has fed families through nearly a century of changing neighborhoods, prices, and supermarket trends. I like how the...
Ready to find the quirkiest places to dine in Pennsylvania?. These 9 restaurants offer wild atmospheres and truly unforgettable meals!. 1. Talula’s Garden (Philadelphia) Most restaurants give you four walls and a ceiling, but Talula’s Garden in Philadelphia gives you something much better. Stepping inside feels like discovering...
Imagine watching an entire stainless steel diner lifted onto trucks and transported across town. That is exactly what happened to a historic Pennsylvania restaurant when a highway expansion project threatened its longtime home. Rather than abandon the building, its owners moved the vintage structure approximately 12 miles to a new...
Craving middle-of-nowhere restaurants in Pennsylvania that are totally worth packing your bags for?. These 7 remarkable spots serve up outstanding food and experiences you’ll never stop talking about!. 1. Big Mike’s Steaks & Hoagies (Forksville) Forksville is a tiny borough tucked deep into Sullivan County, the kind of...
Snapper soup is the dish people keep bringing up at one old colonial house in the Pennsylvania countryside. Yes, that snapper. The turtle-based classic that sounds like a dare and somehow tastes like comfort. The soup is only the start. The same kitchen turns out crab cakes, French onion soup,...
The bacon at this butcher shop is dry-cured and heavily smoked right on the premises. Even better, the sausages, cold cuts, and smoked meats are made by hand in-house, the old-world German way. The man who started it all began his butcher apprenticeship in Germany at just 13. He earned...
(WHTM)– Coca-Cola is celebrating the holidays in Pennsylvania this year with its iconic traveling Holiday Caravan. According to Coca-Cola, the Holiday Caravan is a traveling celebration that visits communities across North America to spread holiday magic and festive joy. This season, the caravan is stopping at several locations across the Commonwealth. Coca-Cola provided a list […]
Central Pennsylvanians know Rutter’s menu runs well past chips and coffee. Take, for instance, its 25 new Spam creations that rolled out this August. Here’s what Central Pennsylvanians grab at Rutter’s that out-of-staters don’t get. 1. Chocolate Peanut Butter Milk. As of 2024, Rutter’s flavored milks...
Primanti Bros.’ first customers were the workers unloading produce in Pittsburgh’s Strip District. Pennsylvanians know the story. Out-of-staters still go looking for a side of fries. Here’s what Pennsylvanians know about Primanti Bros. that out-of-staters get wrong. 1. Cart Before Storefront. Primanti Bros. started out as a...
Say “Giant” to a grocery shopper in Philadelphia and to one in Pittsburgh, and they’ll picture two different stores. The names sound related, and that’s where a lot of the confusion starts. Here’s why eastern Pennsylvanians shop at Giant and western Pennsylvanians swear by Giant Eagle....
One of these Thanksgiving tables sits inside an old railroad station, and trains still roll past the windows. I did not expect that when I started digging. Turkey with a side of passing freight cars? Yes, please. Another stop on this list is an inn that dates back to around...
Pizzelles get their licorice taste from anise, and they show up on a lot of Pennsylvania cookie trays. If you’re from out of state, you might not have tried one, and it’s not the only cookie on the tray you’ll be guessing about. Here are the cookies...
One market on this list began in 1925 as a poultry auction. More than a century later, it still runs a live animal auction close to the produce stands. I love that you can shop for peaches and catch the bidding on the same trip. That’s just one surprise. Another...
Nobody ever looked back on their life and wished they’d spent fewer mornings in a cozy, Harry Potter-themed coffee shop tucked into the mountains of Pennsylvania. Muggles Mug in Jim Thorpe is the kind of discovery that makes you feel genuinely pleased with yourself for finding it, even if someone else told you about it first.
Before opening a small Turkish restaurant in Pennsylvania, its founder reportedly spent his working days driving a taxi. Today, the family business serves traditional dishes and handmade desserts in the middle of a busy downtown. The contrast makes the story memorable. Instead of navigating city streets, the kitchen now prepares...
Thanksgiving doesn’t have to mean spending hours in the kitchen. If you’d rather leave the cooking to someone else this year, you’re in luck. There are restaurants across central Pennsylvania ready to serve a holiday meal. From traditional turkey and mashed potatoes to all-you-can-eat buffets, WITF has rounded up restaurants open on Thanksgiving Day in the region.
NewsWorks Lab is an independent nonprofit newsroom. Sign up for our free newsletters. For Bill Jackson, owner of Wexford Beer, an independent beer distributor north of Pittsburgh, ordering ready-to-drink cocktails from the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board can turn a routine delivery into a half-day’s work. Orders must be loaded one case at a time.
