The Little Black Truck: Slow Smoke

Barbecue is sweeping the nation as one of the hottest new food trends, and lovers of slow-cooked meat have plenty of options. In Harrisburg, one of the best options is the Little Black Truck. The Little Black Truck's a roving smokehouse that serves up spectacular meat cooked to incredible tenderness. The pulled pork here is excellent: every bite is permeated with the most wonderful smoky flavor, which reacts amazingly to the sweet and tangy barbecue sauce. The portions are huge — a single sandwich is more than enough to fill you up. If you don’t feel like barbecue, The Little Black Truck also offers extremely good burgers, topped with gooey melted cheese and a delicious horseradish sauce. The homemade chili is also a high point, perfectly spicy and laden with delicious meat. Don’t come here expecting a salad, but if you’re in the mood for some epic meats, the Little Black Truck certainly won’t disappoint.

The Little Black Truck
3809 Paxton Street
Harrisburg, PA 17111
(717) 877-7636
www.facebook.com/TheLittleBlackTruckBBQ

Garrason’s Tavern: Your New Local Hangout

It takes a number of essential factors to turn a bar into a neighborhood hangout. The service is probably the most important thing – if you’re treated like a regular, there’s a good chance you’ll become one. Harrisburg’s Garrason’s Tavern knows that maxim well, and over their twenty years in operation they’ve established themselves as one of the friendliest bars in town. First and foremost, that’s because of their fantastic drink specials. A wide array of beers are available, from national favorites to a few carefully-chosen microbrews. The bar is also locally famous for mixing the best Moscow Mule in hundreds of miles—this delicious concoction of vodka and ginger beer packs quite a kick. As for the food, it’s traditional bar grub, but executed very well. The burgers are huge and perfectly-charred, topped with a variety of goodies and served with hearty fries. Their pizzas are also very much worth ordering.

Garrason’s Tavern
400 Forster Street
Harrisburg, PA 17102
(717) 232-2028
www.garrasonstavern.com

Brick City Bar & Grille

We all need a neighborhood spot to get away, where the bartenders know our name and nobody’s going to hassle us. Harrisburg's Brick City Bar & Grille is your place. Just minutes from downtown, locals claim that it’s the best sports bar in the zip code, with a number of flat-screen TVs showing sports from all over the world.  While you’re there, Brick City offers plenty to quench your thirst and fill your stomach. The fish and chips are spectacular – perfectly breaded and fried, served with amazing shoestring fries and tart cole slaw. The fried calamari is also really good, and the herby aioli for dipping compliments the flavors nicely. Garlic waffle fries are also excellent. The beer and wine selection is above average, and service is attentive and helpful. And even with everything else going on in the space, the volume level's still not too high to carry on a conversation with your pals!

Brick City Bar & Grille
1313 North 2nd Street
Harrisburg, PA 17102
(717) 232-2522
www.brickcitybarandgrille.com

Cafe Fresco: Asian Fusion From An Award-Winning Chef

Since 2005, Café Fresco has been Harrisburg’s premiere spot for top-notch Asian fusion food, delivering amazingly diverse and tasty dishes to appreciative eaters from all around the state. Award-winning chef Travis Mumma has carefully conceived the menu to contain nothing but essential dishes, and diners rave over his presentation. Start out with the house Tigerlily Martini, made with fresh lychee for a unique flavor twist. The seafood is all exceptional, with the Chilean sea bass with creamy miso and the sesame encrusted Ahi tuna being notable standouts. If you don’t feel like fish, Café Fresco has a wide variety of other delectable dishes on the menu, ranging from a tender roasted duck breast to remarkably good pizzas—slightly unusual for a restaurant with such open Asian influences. For budget-conscious diners, a visit during Happy Hour is great for a menu of food and drink specials.

Café Fresco
215 North 2nd Street
Harrisburg, PA 17101
(717) 236-2599 ‎
www.cafefresco.com

Dunes: Desert Magic

Harrisburg natives who hanker for high-quality Mediterranean cuisine have been flocking to Dunes for years. One meal here will make you a convert! Step inside to Dunes and you’ll be transported to a dimly-lit souk far away, where a panoply of delicious options await you. Regulars rave about the lamb, which is cooked to staggering tenderness. The slow-cooking method of Moroccan cuisine is excellent for getting the most out of this sometimes tricky meat… and Dunes nails it. Start your meal with the tapas appetizer, which presents some regional favorites including hummus, zalouk, carrots, olives, and more. It’ll wake your mouth up to the rich diversity of flavor on offer here. Another specialty is the bastilas – pockets of phylo dough stuffed with shrimp, chicken or spinach, there’a perfect snack to grab and go. Couscous is also excellent. Some complain that the food can be uneven, but when it’s good it’s very, very good.

Dunes
19 South 3rd Street
Harrisburg, PA 17101
(717) 695-0873
www.harrisburgdunes.com

The Glass Lounge: See And Be Seen

If you’re looking for a truly spectacular steak in Harrisburg, The Glass Lounge is the place to go. This casual lounge has a seriously top-quality kitchen that rolls out high-grade New York strips, T-bones, and Delmonicos night after night, with exceptional quality and consistency. Since opening in 1984, The Glass Lounge has won multiple awards from the local press and built a fiercely loyal clientele. You can certainly get a steak on its own here, but the variety of surf & turf that the menu boasts is also worth exploring. The steak and grilled scallops is great, as is the steak with an awesomely formed lump crabcake. If you’re looking for something a little more casual, The Glass Lounge's cheeseburger's one of the best in town, perfectly charred on the outside and pink on the inside, and served with perfectly-crisped fries. From the outside, this place looks like a bit of a dive. But appearances, as they say, can be deceiving.

The Glass Lounge
4745 North Front Street
Harrisburg, PA 17110
(717) 255-9919
www.theglasslounge.net

Neato Burrito: A Harrisburg Must For Mexican

This Harrisburg favorite has been serving up excellent Mexican food to appreciative eaters for years, holding true to a very simple formula: great quality, great service, fair prices. The formula is simple—walk down the counter and select your tortilla, your beans and rice, your meats and cheeses, et cetera. But this is no paint-by-numbers Mexican; the guys at Neato Burrito have gone the extra mile to make their grub stand out. From the unique choices, including BBQ rice, to the homemade salsas (try the spectacular jalapeno feta), these burritos are the best in town. Regulars rave about the enormous portions—a burrito here is virtually impossible to devour in one serving. Vegetarians have a lot to love here, with their house-made black bean hummus an unusual but very savory choice. Get it grilled for even better flavor. The décor is also charming, with a fun and funky 50s theme going on.

Neato Burrito
3370 Paxton Street
Harrisburg, PA 17111
(717) 564-7875 ‎
www.neatoburrito.com

Alvaro Bread and Pastry Shoppe: More Than Just Sweet Treats

If you’re looking for classic old-school Italian bread, the Alvaro family has a loaf for you. This local favorite, housed in a completely refurbished brick building, has become a hangout for eaters looking not only for baked goods but also Italian classics. Everything is made on the premises, and regulars rave about the pizzas, which are made with the perfect amount of fresh ingredients on a delicious crust. Portions are gigantic and prices are incredibly reasonable. If you’re there for dinner, make sure at least one person at your table orders from the amazing fresh pasta menu—the house-made ravioli are some of the best in town, packed with flavor and cooked to incredible tenderness. Spaghetti is also incredible, with unique thick noodles perfectly supporting a dense, flavorful sauce. For dessert, you have plenty to choose from—Alvaro’s cakes and cookies compete with incredible gelato. This place is a definite winner.

Alvaro Bread and Pastry Shoppe
236 Peffer Street
Harrisburg, PA 17102
(717) 238-1999
www.alvarobread.com

Appalachian Brewing Company: Harrisburg's Spot for Handcrafted Ales and Lagers

With three different and unique locations—the one in Harrisburg actially includes two taprooms—Appalachian Brewing Company is dedicated to bringing fine brews to its patrons. Take your pick between the Abbey Bar and the ABC Harrisburg home base, both of which serve finely malted beers in an assortment of flavors. The custom-outfitted brewery and central bar is location in a historic downtown building built in 1915, offering all the antique atmosphere you could want with massive wooden beams, exposed brick walls, and hardwood floors to complement a pint of classic homemade beer.  And with flagship flavors from Trail Blaze Organic Brown Ale to Mountain Lager, you’ll get a taste of Appalachian influence in every sip.

Appalachian Brewing Company
50 N. Cameron Street
Harrisburg, PA 17101
(717) 221-1080
www.abcbrew.com

Gingerbread Man Downtown: A Harrisburg Favorite for Locals and Tourists

Like the storybook character it’s named after, Gingerbread Man Downtown is a delicious treat that’s well-worth chasing after. Fortunately, you won’t have to run as fast as you can to taste its flavors—just a quick trip to downtown Harrisburg will do the trick. With a casual but intimate atmosphere, the restaurant and bar serves eclectic modern dishes like hearty salads, prime rib, burgers, and even fish and chips along with microbrews and an extensive wine list. Beware of letting your bill stack up, but you don’t have to worry about being disappointed by the overall atmosphere and top-notch food.

Gingerbread Man Downtown
312 Market St.
Harrisburg, PA 17101
(717) 221-8400

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