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Hershey, PA


Joe H

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The Hershey Pantry in Hershey, PA. We were there this morning. Some newspaper has voted it the "best breakfast in Central PA for 15 straight years. It really is. Best muffins I've ever had: an oreo muffin was rich and dense with the top of it "scooped out." Sour cream frosting was squeezed in from a pastry tube and the top replaced. Then crumbled oreos and powdered sugar, warmed for a bit and served. Unbelievable. We brought home a chocolate peanut butter cake slice that is probably as good. Outstanding four egg omelettes, French toast, pancakes, really crisp hash browns with a crust-I cannot rave about this place enough.

Easily as good as Polly's Pancake Parlor in Sugar Hill, NH or the former Diner in Yountville, CA.

Now the bad part: having been in business since 1930 it is locally known. Almost every car in the parking lot and on the street had PA plates. At 10:30 AM on Tuesday with 60 in the dining room there were another 20 waiting to get in.

It is also CHEAP. The muffin was $2.95. The four egg Western omelette (fresh grated cheddar cheese, fresh mushrooms, country ham) with home fries and toast was $7.50 but a bargain for what we got.

If you are ever in the area it is well worth a wait in line. It's also just about worth driving from D. C. to there just to have breakfast which we will probably do in the near future.

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Now the bad part: having been in business since 1930 it is locally known. Almost every car in the parking lot and on the street had PA plates. At 10:30 AM on Tuesday with 60 in the dining room there were another 20 waiting to get in.
Thanks for posting this. I also remember you stating the the Hershey Pantry is an independant and not owned by Hershey Corporation. Their website also has information on their catering company with a good directions page to their locations across the street from each other.
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My in-laws live in the area, and I've been to the pantry no less that a couple dozen times, and have yet to have a meal that didn't satisfy, and at a great price, as Joe mentions.

Some standouts:

The cinnamon bun, which is GIANT and delicious

The homemade oatmeal

Tuna melt

Old bay fries

Turkey and Brie sandwich

Actually, it’s all good

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Why must restaurants fix what isn't broken? Anyway, went to the pantry recently and they had changed my beloved tuna melt. It used to be a workingman's sandwich, served on rye with tomato, and grilled until warm -- nothing fancy, just getting the job done. It's now served open faced on focaccia, and arrived stone cold, with cheese that could barely count as being melted. It was a total disaster. The streak is over. Good meals to bad meals, the record is now 24-1.

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The Hershey Pantry people opened a bakery/coffee shop called Desserts, Etc. across the street a few years ago. Who didn't grow up dreaming of getting breakfast from a place called Desserts, Etc.? The cinnamon buns hit the spot, although it's probably good that this is a once- or twice-a-year treat for me.

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Stayed at the Hershey Hotel last night, in a round about way of going to my bro's in NJ.

Lunch was at Devon's Seafood.  Had a ditzy server.  After some prolonged waiting, she came up and said she didn't know we were in her station.  She then forgot an extra order of clams, and sides of whipped potato and Brussels sprouts.  The food was pretty good though, for Hershey.

Dinner was at Trevi 5, within the Hershey Hotel.  Note: the garden was pretty barren in November and the sweet lights weren't very exciting.  The Italian fountain in the hotel is cool tho.  Dinner was pretty good, for Hershey. Breakfast buffet was just meh.   

The hotel was packed with kids and the fire alarm went off at 3 a.m.  

Hershey is such a nostalgic town. Ill need to add that to my list of places to review!!

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24 minutes ago, kitkatpaddywak said:

Hershey is such a nostalgic town. Ill need to add that to my list of places to review!!

[You're tearing me in half, Kat - York is more Baltimore than Philly, but then again, it's not - and then there's Lancaster, Bird-in-Hand, etc. I honestly don't know what to do with these south-central Pennsylvania posts, although I'm leaning towards the Baltimore forum.

Regardless, it's my problem, not yours, and it's exactly the type of problem I want to have.]

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1 hour ago, DonRocks said:

[You're tearing me in half, Kat - York is more Baltimore than Philly, but then again, it's not - and then there's Lancaster, Bird-in-Hand, etc. I honestly don't know what to do with these south-central Pennsylvania posts, although I'm leaning towards the Baltimore forum.

Regardless, it's my problem, not yours, and it's exactly the type of problem I want to have.]

Be careful what you ask for,Im a wherling dervish!! Somethings never change...Deliciousness, whereever it may be.. I shall go. Ill do my best to categorize it geographically, but thanks for sorting my frenetic tastes!!!! 

Its fun to be back!!

kat

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FWIW, the Hershey Pantry has undergone a significant renovation, such that it is now "pantry" in name only. The food, which used to be good top to bottom, had some clear misses including a baked blueberry oatmeal (only 1-2 blueberries, and they may have changed the previous recipe; it didn't have some sort of expected cream filing) and cinnamon bun (still giant, but dry and now just an icing delivery system). A meat lovers omelet and cheddar biscuits and gravy (new menu item, $10) were very good. 

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6 minutes ago, Dr. Delicious said:

The food, which used to be good top to bottom, had some clear misses including a baked blueberry oatmeal (only 1-2 blueberries, and they may have changed the previous recipe; it didn't have some sort of expected cream filing) 

I'm actually fascinated by the fact that you don't remember if there were one or two blueberries (I'm not making a joke). Or was one of them a fragment?

Was there an upcharge for the blueberry?!

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1 minute ago, DonRocks said:

I'm actually fascinated by the fact that you don't remember if there were one or two blueberries (I'm not making a joke). Or was one of them a fragment?

My wife got the oatmeal, and I remember comments like, "there's no blueberries in here", "finally found one" and then I may have started to tune out :) She also mentioned it not being made the same as previous times, something about how it used to have some kind of creamy center. Again, don't quote me here. All i know is that she used to go out of her way to get this one dish at this one place, and could only manage a few bites before sadly pushing it away.

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Does anyone have any tips on visiting Hersheypark? My husband and I are thinking of taking our 7-year-old on a couple of weekdays in June. I've never been and my husband hasn't been since he was a kid. I'm not so much looking for food recommendations (though I'd take those!) and more looking for tips about visiting the park. We're not careless about COVID but we're also not super concerned. Also, the adults will be vaccinated by then.

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