The Best Places to Eat in Hersheypark and around Hershey

The reason why I made this thread is because I want to provide reviews and make awareness of what places there are to eat inside the park and in the surrounding area. Here are my reviews:

Gourmet Grille:
They sell a lot of Italian food such as pasta and sandwiches, as well as mexican food like tacos and more. They also have the typical park fare like chicken fingers and french fries. Good A/C spot and indoor place to eat.

Minetown Restaurant:
This place sells the typical park food like pizza, salads, burgers, and chicken sandwiches. They also sell beer too.

Craftbarn Kitchen:
Pretty much the same as Minetown Restaurant.

Freeman's BBQ:
You can smell this place all over the area around Trailblazer and has recieved great reviews from a lot of people from what I've heard. I still need to eat here sometime.

Outside the Park:
Soda Jerk Diner and Diary Bar:
I just ate at this place for dinner and I have to say that this place has to be one of the best places I've eaten at around the park (next to Red Robbin). Their location is on Main Street in Hummelstown (Turn on the road next to Bob Evan's and keep going straight) and it's hard to miss since it looks like a 1950's diner. They have a big menu and can make just about anything, but the ice cream is the best(they have 2 pages worth of sundaes and milkshakes that you can order!). You get a lot for what you order.

Bob Evans:
I'd say that it's okay, but they don't really have a big menu and their restrooms aren't very clean.

Red Robbin:
Really good burgers, but this place is crowded whenever the park is open.

Panera Bread:
Good sandwiches, and pasteries. It's on the hill next to Applebee's.

Anyone have any more?

We ate at the Soda Jerk as well. Definitely does bring back the 50's. I think I may have gotten a burger there or something similar, but I remember it was pretty good.

As far as inside the park, I like Minetown (because of the pizza and side salads) and Subway near Sidewinder and Storm Runner. I think Subway is one of the cheaper places to eat inside the park. Courtyard Cafe in Chocolate World is also pretty good. They have good sandwiches there.

The best one inside the park in my opinion is Minetown, outside the park Houlihans.

Inside the Park

Lunch
- Tumbleweed's Tacos: they're relatively cheap, not very heavy, and I just like tacos.

Dinner
- Gourmet Grille: The quesadillas are pretty darn good.
- Decades: Can't beat the chicken fingers and fries. Overportioned, overpriced goodness.
- Famiglia's: Awesome pizza, amazing breadsticks. Good for the whole family. Also, if you go to the one in Midway, it has a nice view of T-Force's splashdown.

Snacks
-Midway Munchies: Pierogies with sour cream is the best. Always yummy to munch on while in line for Cat or Mouse.
-Coldstone Creamery: I do love all the ice cream places in the park, but Coldstone takes the cake. Everything is delectable; I wish it would never end.
-Kettle corn. 'Nuff said.

Outside the Park:

Breakfast
-Friendly's: Just ate there this morning while waiting for my blood counts to come back at the Med Center. They have lots of specials, like this week (at least) you could get two eggs, two sausages/pieces of bacon, and two pancakes/toast for three bucks. Kids also eat for like two dollars on Wednesdays. If you go in the morning for breakfast, the staff is always very pleasant. Any time of day, though, you can go to Friendly's. I remember my family riding our bikes down to Friendly's on summer evenings (we lived right up Reese Ave right next to the Reese's factory) to get ice cream. Very good ice cream.
-Bob Evans: Typical Bob Evans.
-Soda Jerk: Like it was mentioned, a very nice place to eat. I love the 50s diner atmosphere.

Dinner
- Fenicci's: Basically the only restaurant I'll go to in Hershey for dinner. The pizza is unbeatable. Its traditional recipe of upside-down pizza (sauce on top) is out of this world. Great atmosphere, amazing pizza. I've been eating Fenicci's since I was a Kiss, if not before then (but they didn't have Miniatures back then). Mmmmmm.


Recommendation: Do not eat any burgers from Minetown Restaurant: they're icky. If you choose to eat there (I do sometimes), get something else like the pizza, a salad, or chicken fingers.

All my favorites inside the park have been stated but not outside. My favorite outside the park has to be Fudruckers. I just love this chain and there arn't many very close to me so I don't get to eat there very often. I usually always go there before Bears games. I also remember one time two years ago before I was on the football team they made it to the district finals and played at the stadium. Pretty much every fan went to Fudruckers and we packed the place full of friends and neibors.

Minetown Restaurant or some stand out in Midway for me...outside of the park I don't get too fancy since I don't know many eateries besides the chains - like Pizza Hut or Friendly's or IHop or something like that
But the chains I mentioned always seem to have a better selection than the ones by me..
I'll have to check the ones you mentioned out the next time I visit HP.

Food at Hersheypark is my specialty. I have eaten at almost all of the restaurants. The best meal I had was the cheesesteak sub at Sooperdooperlooper Sandwich shop (aka Paddleboat Cafe).

well we tried something new this past halloween called gourmae grill(sorry if the spellings wrong) That was preety good. Mostley italian food but I still like mine town to because its not the cheapest but it is good food

Yeah, I have to say that Gourmet Grille is now one of my favorites, next to Minetown. The only thing I hate about that place is that there aren't any side salads. They should offer those to go along with the italian fare that they have there.

Yesterday on the way home I stopped at the Hershey Pantry which is located to the east of the chocolate factory. It was pretty good, but the cake was awesome and they give you such a big piece! I still like Soda Jerk better though, but this place was good as well.
One of the places on my to-do list is Houlihan's.

A friend of mine mentioned about that place recently. She usually has to go to the Hershey Medical Center for Dr appts but mentioned about that place and Chocolate World. I never could figure out where it was.....where east of the factory?

Almost one mile down the road of the factory on 422. It's in a small building next to a hotel.

Not sure how many of you are from the area, but I can offer you some better suggestions than "the soda jerk", the hershey pantry, and houlihans outside of the park.

Let me know what kind of food you are looking for.

Lived in the area all 32 years of my life.

For me, it's the typical more family-style/diner type restaurants that I patronize over the chain restaurants like Chili's, Applebee's and Red Robin.

Are there any Sonic's in the Harrisburg-Hershey area? Like easily accessible by rt. 230? There's one by Dutch Wonderland that I sometimes go to, since there are none currently in NY.

Fanatic wrote:Are there any Sonic's in the Harrisburg-Hershey area? Like easily accessible by rt. 230? There's one by Dutch Wonderland that I sometimes go to, since there are none currently in NY.

Right now my college is along RT. 230 and I can tell you that there is not a Sonic anywhere on that road. In the Middletown/Highspire area there is a McDonalds, Pizza Hut, Hardees (if you're daring) and Wendys at the end of Rt. 283. Simply put, there's nothing along 230.
The closest Sonic is around 10 minutes down Chocolate Avenue from Hershey near Annville.

yeah that's really the only one close to Hershey, between Hershey and Lebanon in Palmyra. In the Lancaster area there is the one by Dutch Wonderland, there is one on Main St. In Mount Joy and there is one on 722 The Oregon Pike about 15 minutes north of Lancaster.

Ccron10 wrote:The closest Sonic is around 10 minutes down Chocolate Avenue from Hershey near Annville.

The next closest would be about 20 minutes away on PA Route 39 in Harrisburg.

I'm surprised that nobody has mentioned the Parkside yet. If you come out of the park and head toward the outlets turn on the street right after the gas station and right before the red robbin. Basically turn on the road that runs right beside the lightning racer. Then you can't miss it. It sits right behind the roller soaker. It is a bar and does attract a biker crowd but has great food and the drink prices are great.

My wife and I are big fans of the Parkside. Sometimes if we're on that side of the park, we'll exit through ZooAmerica and walk down and sit outside and have bite and/or drinks. You just have to check the ZooAmerica closing time to make sure you can get back in. The crowd is alot of fun there. Usually a biker crowd and they are always friendly. The hot roast beef is very good.

Inside the park, I like the waffle fries at Nathans in the boardwalk area. The taco place is good too.

Thanks for the responses.
I'll be sure to make a stop there next time I'm at Hershey. I like going to Sonic to switch it up a bit. Decent food for a quick meal.

The Parkside is a good place, it is a biker bar, but they aren't as bad as what some make em out to be.

I have gone to the parkside upwards of 30 times and have never had a single problem. Everyone is very nice. Bikers get a bad name but they are just regular people.

There's only one place I ever eat inside the park, and that's the Bricker's French Fry stand next to Lightning Racer. Best french fries period, and their chicken finger basket (with fries) is a good value at a park that prices their food way too high.

Outside the park... I don't know. I enjoyed Houlihan's, but I probably won't go back. I don't live far from the park, so eating in town is never on the to-do list.

The lemonade stand at the end of the incline from Comet Hollow has some pretty good lemonade. At least it's better than what I can make / buy from other places. I normally try to stop there at least once during my visit, and get some kettle corn on the way out. Two of my favorite snacks from HP.

There's a little hole in the wall bar/family restaurant called the "Burrow" (I think). If you get off of 322 you make a left at the light and head towards Hummelstown and it's over the hill and on the right. Not too far off the beaten path but it has great food, drinks, and cheap prices!

Best theme park food in the area is about an hour north

I like the tiny little perogies near Lighting Racer : ) Also, my boyfriend and I, for whatever reason, always wanted to stop by the Cocoa Diner right outside the park before our 1.5 hour drive home. It always just looked....charming or something, but we're always too dead from running around all day in the heat. Last week, after the meet-up, we finally tried it out (aaand had a much sleepier ride home). We thought the food was decent, but the service seemed a little too rushed, especially since we NEEDED a nice rest. Maybe our server was just having a bad day. I'd go back for the cannoli cake, though!

We've eaten at the Cocoa Diner before and their food was indeed good. However the prices were a little too steep. You guys should've went to the Soda Jerk instead. Maybe you can try that out next time.

I've eaten at a bunch of the places inside the park. Most recently at the burger joint across from Tumbleweed Tacos (don't remember the name) and Decades. I had a fried chicken sandwich at the burger place. It was decent though not worth the $11 price tag. At Decades I had the turkey burger (code named s**t burger by food employees at the park) and it was awesome. That might very well be my favorite place to eat this summer. Usually in June when I go, we eat at Nathan's in the Boardwalk. Splashing around in ECWW always makes you hungry.

As far as favorite snacks go, I love the Nut Hut, the ice cream stand by the old time photos and Bricker's fries. Nothing beats Bricker's fries with cheese. That was always my staple at Bears games. Tip for the Nut Hut...you must have cash. I need to remember this everytime I go.

Outside of the park:

I love Cocoa Diner. I think the prices are pretty good, plus they serve breakfast 24/7. Panera Bread is my favorite chain place, but I've never left the park to eat there. Applebee's and Red Robin are packed when the park is in operation. Red Robin serves late into the evening and there is no wait at that point. Good spirits can be consumed here. A friend of mine always eats lunch at Parkside. He gets his handstamp and exits via the Zoo bridge. I might be tempted to do the same at some point this summer, just to give Parkside a try.

To me honestly the best place to eat considering prices is in the parking lot. Pack a lunch and some drinks and there you go cheap and easy lunch.

A while back someone mentioned that Freeman's BBQ was leaving and being replaced by something called Spring Creek Smokehouse. Can anyone who has visited the park this year add any new information about this? Is it up and running yet?

gardener14 wrote:A while back someone mentioned that Freeman's BBQ was leaving and being replaced by something called Spring Creek Smokehouse. Can anyone who has visited the park this year add any new information about this? Is it up and running yet?

I've originally wanted to check this place out but been hearing bad reviews of the place. I do know that the prices are steep as it was open last Sunday and I was able to get a glimpse of the prices. Not sure if I'll be eating there now. Hopefully, they're just having a rough start at the beginning of the season other than the very high prices.

If you're looking for value, then your best option would be to buy a meal ticket at hospitality services. Each ticket you buy gets you one meal at either the same price or lower than you would at the actual place. They also offer many other food plans for families as well as small children.

If you're looking for quality however, then your best option would to eat outside the park. Pretty much everything outside the park gate is better quality than inside. The only problem is that you have to leave the park and it's just a big hassle getting back in and then trying to find the same parking spot or better than the one you had.

Personally I would check down in hospitality services for their meal options. Like I said they have many different options for many different family types at reasonable prices and maximum convenience.

HPCrazy wrote:We've eaten at the Cocoa Diner before and their food was indeed good. However the prices were a little too steep. You guys should've went to the Soda Jerk instead. Maybe you can try that out next time.

Thanks, maybe I'll seek it out! It's a shame I'm not more familiar with the area, but hopefully I'll learn my way around a bit better this summer. Also, it's funny, we thought the prices at the Cocoa Diner were actually really cheap, but that's almost certainly because of the high prices we're used to at most of the "diners" in the Baltimore area >_>

If you're coming from the park and you approach the Bob Evans and Sheetz, you turn right and head up over the hill, eventually coming to a "V" in the road. The Soda Jerk is right there. Its theming is set back in the 50's and they give you plenty of food for what you pay for. It's definitely worth it.

Maybe the Cocoa Diner has since lowered their prices, idk. The last time we ate there was February 2009.

I agree with pushingbuttons regarding the HP Meal Ticket. I completely forgot to mention about it. We used to do that awhile back, plus you get a souvenir cup with it. Some of my older souvenir cups that I have were ones that were bought with the Meal Ticket. Not a bad deal, IMO.

The park is starting to sell some Fall-themed foods. Some of the ice cream vendors have been selling some new Candy Chaos flavors such as Pumpkin Pie and Caramel Apple. I've also heard of a possible new funnel cake flavor as well.

I know they always have pumkin pie funnel cake at the york fair and it is spectacular. I really hope this is true because it is really good and somewhat unique.