Lancaster City Restaurants Around Penn Square

Lancaster city restaurants gather around Penn Square, the central crossroads of a small, walkable Pennsylvania city, and along the King and Queen Street blocks that run through it. Visitors who come for the county's farms often find the city's dining a pleasant surprise. Park once, walk Queen Street and eat where the farm supply shows on the plate.

Where are Lancaster city restaurants?

Around Penn Square in the center, with the densest cluster on the surrounding blocks of North Queen Street, King Street and Prince Street. The city is compact, so most dining rooms are a short walk from one another.

Park once and walk. The grid makes it easy. Garages sit within a block or two of the square, and street parking is metered and time-limited, so check the signs. The city is also served by trains, which suits a day trip from Philadelphia or Harrisburg. On a pleasant day, walk the length of Queen Street and back before you choose where to sit, because the best rooms are often a little off the main crossing.

What is dining around Penn Square like?

Lively but not overwhelming. The square has a historic monument at its center and is lined with older buildings, some of which now hold restaurants, cafes and bars. Lunch draws workers and shoppers, and dinner draws couples, families and visitors. Outdoor seating appears in warm weather, and many rooms have a relaxed, neighborly feel.

A walk around the square on a weekday afternoon shows which places are busy. You will notice that the older buildings give the restaurants character: brick walls, tall windows, tin ceilings and the occasional courtyard. Ask for a table by a window if the light matters to you, and ask the server about what is local on the menu that week. A kitchen proud of its farm supply will tell you the name of the farm.

Friends' picks on the Mosey map show the places the people you follow have rated or saved, which is a quick way to choose a table around Penn Square.

What does a Lancaster dinner look like?

Varied. The city has kitchens that cook farm-to-table American food, Italian, Latin American, Asian and Middle Eastern dishes, and a few that lean on Pennsylvania Dutch traditions. The county's farms supply many menus, so seasonal produce appears. Friday and Saturday evenings are the busiest, and some rooms fill early. A weekday dinner is calmer.

Phone ahead for a group. If you are a vegetarian, you will find the city friendly, since farm-to-table menus lean on vegetables. If you are traveling with children, ask about early seating, which many kitchens are happy to offer. First Fridays and festival weekends bring crowds to the center, so check the city's calendar before you plan a big dinner.

Where is Lancaster brunch?

On weekends in the cafes and restaurants around the center. Expect eggs, pancakes, breakfast sandwiches, pastries and coffee, with local ingredients in season. Sunday is the busiest morning, and some places that close on Sundays for religious reasons in the surrounding county are open in the city, so confirm. A weekday coffee and pastry is a quieter way to start. Brunch is a good way to see the city at its most relaxed, with locals reading the paper and families meeting after church. If the wait is long, walk the square and come back, or take a coffee to the nearby park. Lancaster is a city where nobody minds if you take your time.

Ask for what the kitchen baked that morning.

How does the market fit into a Lancaster day?

The Central Market is a short walk from Penn Square and is a good place for lunch, snacks and ingredients. It has its own older guide: the Central Market food guide explains what to eat there and when it is open. Many visitors combine the market in the morning with a sit-down lunch or dinner in the city.

How does a Lancaster city day fit with the county?

Easily. The farms, stands and bakeries of the county are a short drive from the center, and a day often splits between countryside and city: pretzels and whoopie pies in the morning, a long lunch in town and a farm stand on the way back. The roadside stands guide covers the drive. Plan the drive around the opening days of the stands.

What do tags help with in a small city?

In the Mosey app, raters add tags when they rate a meal, and diners look for them in the Find sheet. In Lancaster the useful ones are Family Friendly, Vegetarian, Gluten-Free, Outdoor seating, Date Night and Quick Service. A tag is a note from someone who ate there, and a dietary tag is a good opening for a conversation with the kitchen.

Where next in Lancaster?

The whoopie pie guide covers the sweet side, and the Lititz pretzel guide covers a nearby town. The US food guides hold the rest of the country.

Eating your way across Pennsylvania? The Food in Pennsylvania page links every town we cover.

Before you head back to the car, open the Mosey app, rate your last meal in Lancaster by the dish and add it to a list called Penn Square that your friends can use.