Restaurants

One thing’s for sure about dining in Gettysburg—there are lots of choices. You can get dressed up and head out for a five-course meal one night and the next night grab something at whatever casual place is nearby when hunger strikes. Dressy casual is the most dressed up you need to be in any of the restaurants, and all the finer restaurants except the Cashtown Inn also have a tavern or more casual dining area on the premises. But that’s not to say you can’t put on your best outfit if you’re so inclined, especially if you plan on dining at Herr’s Publick House or Centuries on the Square. At most restaurants you’ll find a varied menu that aims to please many different tastes. Pasta, chicken, seafood, and beef dishes, as well as sandwiches and lighter fare, appear on most menus. If you like to try ethnic fare, you can sample Italian, Greek, Asian, and Irish cuisines.

Some of the dining establishments are housed in historic landmarks, making dining there about much more than enjoying excellent food. For instance, the Farnsworth House housed Confederate sharpshooters during the Battle of Gettysburg, and the Dobbin House and Herr’s Tavern were stops on the Underground Railroad. You really shouldn’t miss these places, and you might want to try their dishes that are representative of the Civil War period.

The southern end of town contains the most concentrated area of restaurants, probably because many tourist sights are also in this part of town. Gettysburg doesn’t have many chain restaurants—a McDonald’s, a Friendly’s, and a Kentucky Fried Chicken are in the southern end of town, and a Ruby Tuesday, an Arby’s, a Perkins Family Restaurant, a Hoss’s, and another McDonald’s are along York Street east of the square.

Most of the restaurants described in this chapter are within the borough limits.

Although this makes them conveniently located by attractions and shopping, it also sometimes leads to congestion. If you can, leave your car behind and walk. I’ll mention if a place has a lot of parking available; otherwise, assume there’s either no customer parking or very little parking available, often behind the restaurant. If you’re driving, be prepared to have to find a spot on the street and feed the meters. There’s also a parking garage on Race Horse Alley behind the Gettysburg Hotel on the square. As of September 2008, restaurants in Pennsylvania are smoke-free.

When asked, most establishments claim to be wheelchair accessible, but this often means coming in a back door or the staff putting down a ramp for easier access. My best advice to those needing special assistance is for you to call ahead and speak about the facilities directly with someone from the restaurant.

Gettysburg is a tourist town, so most places accept credit cards. But there are a few exceptions, which I’ll note in those restaurants’ write-ups. Reservations are often accepted only at the fine-dining establishments, and waiting for a table is a common experience. Many tourists seem to break for lunch late, about 1:00 to 1:30 p.m., so don’t think you’ll outsmart everyone by delaying lunch—you’ll just be hungrier while you wait.

Entries in this chapter are arranged geographically from the focal point of Lincoln Square and then listed alphabetically.