williamsport pa restaurants
$$$ 33 East at 33 East 3rd Street, Williamsport, PA 17701
Phone: (570) 322-1900
33east.com
This is in the basement of an old theater and has a pretty good chef. Usually the ingredients are very fresh and seasonal. There is almost always some nice seafood on the menu. They have a small but good wine cellar and have let me go in to select my own bottle. I found a very good bottle of Pinot there when the waiter got tired of telling us they were out of our selections. 33 East has modern sculptures and brightly painted decor with draped fabric. It is about as close to big city style as we get in our area and is quite nice. It has a big, well stocked bar and a semi-open kitchen and I have always gotten good service there. The food is always enjoyable, with innovative dishes, excellent appetizers and desserts.
$$$ The Old Corner Hotel at 328 Court Street Williamsport, PA 17701-6233
Phone: (570) 326-4286
Generally good service though it has gone downhill in the recent years. Solid food with a decent wine list. The staff will not know a lot about the wine. There is a bar in the front and a nice dining room in back. The Old Corner Hotel has a good chef and has gourmet choices on its menu and good desserts. Like most places in the area, the coffee is barely adequate, so go to Starbucks after dinner in the Basin street area just a couple blocks away. This review is a little lackluster but I actually recommend the place often. I have always enjoyed the experience of the Old Corner Hotel.
$$$ Barrel 135 135 West 3rd Street Williamsport, PA 17701-6407
Phone: (570) 322-7131
Update: August 2010 – New Owners have purchased the Barrel135 and I have not been there since. This is one of the newest places in the area. It has a trendy bar and dining room and the most innovative kitchen in town. The soups are outstanding. One was a pumpkin soup with cotton candy strewn over the top. It has sidewalk seating for nice outdoor dining. Pretty good wine list, but not deep. Very knowledgeable bartenders can mix just about anything you can ask for. The dishes are mostly very intense in flavor with creative combinations of flavors and sauces. Nice selection of appetizers including some fine Italian meats and cheeses and great calamari.
$$$ DiSalvo’s 341 East 4th Street Williamsport, PA 17701
Phone: (570) 327-1200
Excellent wine from Italy, including some Super Tuscans and some wine from Sardinia! A very extensive wine list – every bottle from Italian growers. Very nice decor for a formal night out but very friendly and fun. You should try out their great downstairs open kitchen, down the marble stairs, near the wood fired ovens and the high flying flames of the stoves. Very good risotto, pasta dishes and meats. Excellent duck. The salmon with chargrilled asparagus is super. The zuppa de pesci is also very good. Months with “R’s” usually have fresh oysters, often with a very good vinaigrette.
DiSalvo’s has the best bar in our area. It is very nice to just sit in the big leather couch and drink Italian wine. In warmer months they also have a very nice patio, shielded from the street, with a fountain and greenery. Fridays there is often Jazz on the patio.
The waitstaff is very friendly and strive to make your visit an entertainment as well as a great meal.
Other Restaurants Worth The Trip
Peter Herdic House – excellent wine list in a Victorian mansion. Very good menu and service. Traditional and a little stuffy but in a good, historic way.
Triangle – a throwback to old Williamsport. Go here to sit by Catholic priests sipping martinis, and eat fresh pasta dishes, fresh bread and homemade peppers in oil. Nothing fancy but everything good.
Franco’s – a tiny and popular bar with music on weekends. Very good food and beer selection. Bohemia comes to Williamsport.
Pineapple Grill - excellent Thai food. Very friendly service. Very fresh, homemade food. The steak salad and the tomtom soup are the best I have had anywhere.
Le Jeunne Chef – student run restaurant on the Penn College campus. A very superb wine list and good wine prices. Food is usually very good but with one or two things not quite perfect. But I am always impressed with the food. Some of the waiters I have had act like we’re in Paris and should be in black tie but they’re never rude. Just odd.
Bullfrog Brewery - local brewpub. Good beer and good pub grub. Well run.
Mulberry Street Cafe – in the basin street area. Very good homemade food. Not much of a wine list, this is more a great locals hangout.
Primavera - another of the old timey Williamsport Italian establishments with excellent homemade Italian food, fresh bread and peppers in oil.