PA Food & Restaurant Snobs

PA Food & Restaurant Snobs Your place for the raw truth on the Pennsylvania food and restaurant scene

While visiting Ebensburg, PA, the Snobs asked a local for a lunch recommendation. Without hesitation, he said, “You have...
06/13/2026

While visiting Ebensburg, PA, the Snobs asked a local for a lunch recommendation. Without hesitation, he said, “You have to go to the Backroom Saloon.” Since he said it with the confidence of a man who knew where lunch dreams come true, we gave it a shot. Turns out, he knew what he was talking about.

The Backroom Saloon is a neat restaurant and bar tucked away at the rear of a shopping plaza. It was clean and the staff was very friendly.

We started with the soft pretzels, which came out as four large pretzel rods, hot and fresh. They had the perfect balance of crispy outside and soft, warm inside. We tried them with the house-made beer cheese and house-made banana pepper mustard, and both were excellent. Honestly, these pretzels came dangerously close to perfection. We don’t say that lightly.

For our mains, we tried the Firecracker Burger, topped with jalapeño poppers. The 8-ounce burger, made with ground chuck, brisket and short rib, was the bomb. We ordered it rare and they actually understood the assignment. Miracles do happen. You would be hard-pressed to find a better burger on the road. We ordered it with house-made chips, which were good, but not life-changing.

We also tried the Turkey Bacon Cheddar sandwich, which was tasty and juicy. Our only minor complaint was that the bacon could have been crispier. We like our bacon to have some crunch. This came with fries that were crispy, but otherwise just okay.

Now, the water. Sadly, the water was gross tap water. But hey, bad water isn’t a deal breaker when the food is this good.

The Snobs would definitely come back. We rate the Backroom Saloon an 8.5/10.

The snobs put a lot of thought into these reviews and our hope is that most of them are positive. Unfortunately, we are ...
06/05/2026

The snobs put a lot of thought into these reviews and our hope is that most of them are positive. Unfortunately, we are disappointed to say that our recent visit to The Daily Grind in Quarryville resulted in a 3/10.

We had a less-than mediocre experience there last week. The food was just not great. It lacked quality and quantity.

First we ordered the turkey reuben, avocado tomato hummus wrap and Italian BLT. After waiting for our food, we were informed the hummus wrap was no longer available because they ran out of hummus. This is fine, but they offered to substitute the hummus with another “sauce” like ketchup or honey mustard. Um… what?

They then replaced the wrap with a honey, ham and cheddar panini. This was the most disappointing part. Just look at the picture. The bread isn’t pressed like a panini should be. There is a ton of bread, and the cheese wasn’t even melted. Unfortunately, we had to ask for something else. We then tried the avocado and chicken quesadilla. Finally, we had something edible, but still not tasty.

The snobs drank iced chai lattes and the peachy keen quencher, which were both 8/10.

The reason they get an overall 3/10 and not a lower rating is because their drinks were good, we appreciated the replacements and the vibe of the place was nice.

But they are reaching. The chairs at the tables were covered in food and coffee splashes, likely because they can’t be easily cleaned, and there are crevices everywhere filled with dust and grime. Yuck!

Have you been here? What are your thoughts.

This is our attempt at a review while writing in our best Delco accent. While working down near Philly, the Snobs swung ...
05/30/2026

This is our attempt at a review while writing in our best Delco accent. While working down near Philly, the Snobs swung by Geo’s Steaks in Aldan and grabbed a cheesesteak to go. Wait wasn’t bad at all. First thing we noticed when we opened the bag, though, was the steak was sitting in a plastic container instead of wrapped in paper. Not a federal offense, but c’mon, it throws off the whole cheesesteak vibe a little.

Roll looked like a Liscio’s, which is always a solid start. Meat-to-cheese ratio was pretty good and overall it ate like a very typical Philly-area steak. Nothing wild, nothing offensive, just a solid neighborhood jawn. Oh, and we didn’t try the wooder.

The Snobs give it a 7.5 out of 10.

Go Birds!

It’s not often we venture out for breakfast, but The Snobs were celebrating yesterday and decided to try The Whisk Cafe ...
05/26/2026

It’s not often we venture out for breakfast, but The Snobs were celebrating yesterday and decided to try The Whisk Cafe in Elizabethtown.

We had a pretty stellar experience and were greatly impressed with the variety of options. It took us forever to make a decision on what go get!

Let’s start on the deliciously crafted lattes. We tasted the toffee twist, oatmeal butter chai, jelly donut, and caramel macchiato. All were amazing but the oatmeal butter chai was a stand out.

The food was also impressive. We tried an array of meals like the waffle breakfast sandwich, braised beef benedict, farm stand croissant, loaded home fries, and huevos hash. Most options come with a choice of fresh fruit, mixed greens, or (our fav) home fries prepared in beef tallow.

The only major downside to this establishment was… you guessed it, the water. Definitely stick to drinking lattes and skip the h2o here.

Overall, we give The Whisk an 8/10!

The snobs spent the morning at Wild Batch Bistro and we have some mixed feelings. Let’s start by pointing out the stunni...
05/06/2026

The snobs spent the morning at Wild Batch Bistro and we have some mixed feelings.

Let’s start by pointing out the stunning selection of pastries and desserts in the display case. I mean, c’mon, just look at those masterpieces. It took a lot for us to not splurge on them.

The coffees were delicious and flavorful. They have plenty of syrup options to satisfy the pickiest of coffee drinkers. Our group had an iced caramel latte with vanilla cold foam, banana bread shaken espresso, and white chocolate iced coffee with vanilla cold foam. All were 10/10 but we do think the vanilla cold foam was a little on the sweet side.

The food overall was good. They make homemade bagels which were delish. However, the pretzel roll was very dry. So much so that this snob picked apart the sandwich and discarded the roll entirely. The sandwiches pictured are the Double BS, Turkey Bacon Ranch Bagel, and Morning Mix Crepe (as sandwich).

One other thing to note was the floor. There were plenty of crumbs and trash visible, but also, it’s very old which makes it look dirtier than it probably is. This snob thinks they would benefit from a fresh bit of paint on the floor.

Overall, we rate this experience a 7.5/10.

After our friends at the Meanwhile in Pennsylvania page posted about Joe’s Pizza Plaza in York, the Snobs decid...
05/02/2026

After our friends at the Meanwhile in Pennsylvania page posted about Joe’s Pizza Plaza in York, the Snobs decided it was time to check it out. We stopped in just after 1:00 on a weekday and the place was packed. This spot clearly has a strong local following.

The East Prospect Street location is easy to miss. We have driven by it countless times over the years without noticing it. The exterior does not draw you in. Regulars are not coming here for curb appeal.

We ordered a 9-inch mushroom pizza and a large cheeseburger sub. For the price, the pizza was a win at well under $10. It had solid flavor, nothing remarkable, but it delivered for what you pay.

This place is known for cheeseburger subs, though we are not entirely sure why. It was a straightforward sandwich, basic burger patties on a crusty roll with plenty of onions. Nothing fancy. Still, like the pizza, it felt like a good value.

Bottom line, you will struggle to find a lunch at this price point that competes. Overall, the Snobs land at a 6 out of 10.

The Snobs made their way to York’s Central Market in search of a classic farmers market breakfast, something hearty, fre...
04/19/2026

The Snobs made their way to York’s Central Market in search of a classic farmers market breakfast, something hearty, fresh and worth the early start. This time, though, the experience didn’t quite deliver.

We stopped at the recently opened Gigi’s Country Kitchen and ordered a wet-scrambled eggs with pepper jack cheese, pancakes, biscuits with sausage gravy and sides of bacon. Overall, most of the dishes fell flat. The standout was the pancakes, which had a subtle cinnamon touch that gave them a nice lift and made them the highlight of the meal.

On the downside, some of the biscuits were clearly stale. This is never a good sign for a spot leaning into comfort food. To add to that, the home fries we ordered never made it to the table (though to their credit, they were removed from the bill without issue).

All in all, the visit was underwhelming and not one we’re eager to repeat. The Snobs give it a 5/10.

What kind of meal do you expect from a place called HillBilly’s Grub-n-Pub? The Snobs weren’t exactly expecting much, bu...
04/18/2026

What kind of meal do you expect from a place called HillBilly’s Grub-n-Pub? The Snobs weren’t exactly expecting much, but needing a quick lunch stop near the Donegal interchange off the PA Turnpike, we gave it a shot. And what a surprise it turned out to be.

We ordered the twisted pretzel, sweet & hot wings (a Wednesday special at $1.11 each), and the Outback burger with homemade chips. For a roadside stop, this was far better than anticipated.

Our followers know we love wings and these did not disappoint. Perfectly cooked with a crisp finish that didn’t dry them out, they packed great flavor. Honestly, we’d come back just for the wings.

The Outback burger was another standout. It was cooked just right and loaded with flavor. The twisted pretzel was unexpectedly impressive as well. It was huge, soft and delicious.

And yes, the water passed the test too.

All in all, a very pleasant surprise for a turnpike stop. We’re giving HillBilly’s Grub-n-Pub an 8.5 out of 10.

Address

3531 PA-31
Donegal, PA
15628

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