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View Full Version : Restaurant Yea's and Neh's



dserum06
02-27-2012, 15:53
So I just wondered what experiences people had to eat in towns along the trail. Recommend any restaurants or warn us about any to pass? Would be appreciated :) :) :D

flemdawg1
02-27-2012, 15:58
After a couple of weeks on the trail, Hiker Hunger kicks in. And just about anything edible becomes THE MOST AWESOME THING I EVER ATE! Many of us find that whenever we revisit these places under normal circumstances that they aren't nearly as good.

Spokes
02-27-2012, 16:02
The New Ming Garden Buffet and Grill (http://minggardenwbo.com/) in Waynesboro, VA.....hands down the best.

Second place goes to Dot's in Damascus, VA for greasy burgers, cold beer, and whiny country music on the jukebox.

Jeff
02-27-2012, 17:20
Vermont has some great stops for that hiker hunger:

Up for Breakfast in Manchester Center, VT

Whistle Stop in Clarendon, VT

Inn at the Long Trail at Sherburne Pass, VT

Village Store (grill) in West Hartford, VT

Red Hat
02-27-2012, 17:28
Beside Mings (the best Chinese restaurant anywhere!), I recommend the Home Place in Catawba, VA. In GA, if you can get a ride into Blairsville from Neel Gap, the Cookie Jar has a good buffet. There's also a nice buffet in Hiawassee.

Places to avoid: most any Chinese restaurant that is not Mings. Most Mexican restaurants are aweful except for the one across from the Sapphire Inn in Franklin, TN and the one across from the Howard Johnsons in Daleville.

DrRichardCranium
02-27-2012, 17:37
Gotta second the Whistle Stop in VT. After dinner they let me camp behind the place for the night, so the next morning I went in for breakfast as well. (I had "The Works").

trippclark
02-27-2012, 18:21
So I just wondered what experiences people had to eat in towns along the trail. Recommend any restaurants or warn us about any to pass? Would be appreciated :) :) :D

My favorite places to eat at or near the trail, so far (GA - NJ) would be:

The Dillard House, Dillard, GA (Favorite! - Not especially easy to walk or hitch to from the trail, but well worth the stop if in the area and you have transportation; we stopped there after several section hikes. The Dillard House is about 6 miles from the A.T. at its closest point.)

Smoky Mountain Diner, Hot Springs, NC (the skillet breakfast was great)

Fatty's, Damascus, VA (sadly no longer in business)

The Home Place, Catawba, VA

Slo-go'en
02-27-2012, 18:42
If you drop into Gatlinburg, the Smoky Mountian Brewery is expensive, but very good with outstanding beer.

Worst Chinnese buffet of the trail : Pearisburg. Don't bother.
The one here in Gorham, NH is pretty good. I eat there fairly often.
I'll have to try Mings in Waynsbrough on this years trip through VA, though that might be where I'm getting off.

I wasn't impressed with Dots. I like the Dairy bar down the street on the corner better.

CrumbSnatcher
02-27-2012, 18:54
Smoky Mtn. Diner
elms diner
3c's diner
lou's diner
stratton diner
a few good ones.

Kerosene
02-27-2012, 21:17
Probably the best food I ate was a lamb-based shepherds pie from The Norwich Inn (http://www.norwichinn.com/norwich-restaurants.php) in Norwich, VT, just across the Connecticut River from Hanover. They brew their own beer and Jasper's Alehouse was a great place to watch a game of soccer on a lovely Fall afternoon. The pie was so good that I came back and at the same thing for dinner! Unfortunately, it appears that they no longer serve the pie, but they do have a few other interesting-looking lamb dishes.
.
Lou's Diner in Hanover had some fantastic French Toast, with real maple syrup (required).
.
The Home Place is a must-visit, although sad to say, I never had the opportunity to partake (one of the drawbacks of section hiking).

SCRUB HIKER
02-27-2012, 21:25
Unsurprisingly, a really good restaurant with really big portions isn't going to sneak up on anyone on the Trail; you hear about them a long time ahead, hundreds of miles sometimes (like Ming's and the Homeplace ... I heard about them in Georgia). But for the record, ones that stand out off the top of my head:

Smoke Rings BBQ in Hiawassee, GA
Ramunto's Pizza in Hanover (free slice if you're a thru-hiker, but you'll want more)
The Homeplace in Catawba, VA
White Wolf Inn in Stratton, ME
Smoky Mtn Diner in Hot Springs

SCRUB HIKER
02-27-2012, 21:27
Also I've got to disagree with the vote for the Chinese place in Gorham, NH. Those dishes were all super-bland MSG bombs. The BBQ restaurant in Gorham was also terrible. But those are just my opinions.

mikec
02-27-2012, 21:27
I'll second Lou's in Hanover,NH; Home Place in Catawba, VA; and I liked Cowboys in Damascus, VA for breakfast. We also hit a pretty good AYCE Chinese place in Hiawassee, GA that looks like it is now either a steakhouse or a BBQ place.

yappy
02-27-2012, 21:28
Home place is awesome place across from outfitters in hotsprings Chinese in Hanover YUM and lots of places UN new England spendy tho. I got say the Colorado trail has a lot of great food

Sarcasm the elf
02-27-2012, 21:35
Isn't there. Place in Jersey that's so unfriendly to hikers that some of the guidebooks stopped listing it? If I recall it had some sort of "keep your backpacks outside" sign hanging out front when I passed by...

The good news is that the rest of NY/Nj seems to have a sandwich place every couple of road crossings, there's a reason they call it the deli belt.

soilman
02-27-2012, 21:37
The Home Place
Jacob's Pub in Dalton, MA has great Reubens
Mings has an unbelievable buffet on weekends
I thought that the Doyle in Duncannon had good food
Port Clinton Hotel, but hikers can't eat in the restaurant.
Avoid Gyp's Tavern in Culvers Gap, NJ - We ordered our food and beers and were all set to watch World Cup when the waitress told us to sit in the back room where there was no TV because we stunk

yappy
02-27-2012, 21:40
I like it best when ur surprised by a place u didn't know was there can't remember where in NJ but we crossed a rd and there sat a hotdog stand yummy delightful in a gross what is in this hotdog kind of way

Sandy of PA
02-27-2012, 21:41
I stopped at that Deli last year, got a wonderful sandwich so big I had the second half for dinner. He has a bench on the side of the building, marked "For your gear and your rear". There is no place to sit inside so I thought it was very thoughtful to have a bench just for hikers.

pafarmboy
02-27-2012, 21:54
The New Ming Garden Buffet and Grill (http://minggardenwbo.com/) in Waynesboro, VA.....handsdown
.


+1 Best. Buffet. Ever.

Cookerhiker
02-27-2012, 21:59
Second the Inn at the Long Trail and Whistlestop in VT and the Port Clinton Hotel in PA.


Home place is awesome place across from outfitters in hotsprings Chinese in Hanover YUM and lots of places UN new England spendy tho. I got say the Colorado trail has a lot of great food

Yup - Breckenridge, Leadville, Salida, Silverton, and Durango all had wonderful restaurants. Carvers Pub in Durango offers a free Colorado Trail Ale to all completed thruhikers.

brian039
02-27-2012, 22:01
You'll know where to eat, that's all people talk about on the trail. It would be too hard to list all the good places. The only place I wouldn't spend money is at all of the businesses at Culver's Gap in NJ except the gas station. I'm not sure what the deal is there but they went out of their way to be unfriendly, it was the only place on the entire trail where I felt hostility.

Hooch
02-27-2012, 22:12
Home place is awesome place across from outfitters in hotsprings. . . . There is nowhere to eat across from BMO in Hot springs. I was there earlier today. Paddler's Pub closed a few years ago after Patrick's death. Briadge Stret Cafe closed years ago, repoened under new management as Rock Bottom Cafe and closed last year. It looks as if the building has been recently painted and some remodeling has been done inside, so a possible reopening once again there.

Zigzag
02-27-2012, 22:26
Heard about Home Place in Catawba from some bikers at work this summer, missed it when I was there 2 years ago. Stayed in Troutdale a few years ago & tried the Mexican place a few nights. Great first night & poor the 2nd. That's the problem with chains. Not sure which Chinese place Slogoin refers to in Gorham. The Yokahama has been in Gorham for over 40 years but not a buffet. The other one at the front of the motel has changed hands a few times over the years but does not have a good rep (though my friends Paul & Steph eat there often). Crabby Jacks was horrible & went out of business. Mr Pizza is best reasonable price place in town though I haven't been there since my neighbor sold it. Libby's Bistro has great food but expensive. Most of my friends from Gorham/Berlin head south though the notch for a good meal, we have a ton of great places to eat in Jackson & North Conway. Moat Mountain Brewpub, Thompson House, Red Parka Pub, the list goes on & on. But it can be a tough hitch from Crawford or Pinkham Notches to the south.

yappy
02-27-2012, 22:37
Ohhhh sport to hear the pub closed I haven't gone thru since 05 and the Chinese place in Hanover haven't been in since 01 I think cld b a whole different place now the Doyle has huge burgers yum

soilman
02-27-2012, 22:46
I just remembered a great Italian restaurant in Palmerton, PA. Family run by a young couple. Everything is made from scratch, including the pasta. Great desserts. Palmerton IMHO is a great trail town that doesn't get much notice.

max patch
02-27-2012, 23:34
I wasn't impressed with Dots.

I agree. Hiker friendly and close to The Place but other than that nothing special at all about it.

I thot the food at the Inn on the Long Trail, Mountain Meadows, and the Homeplace was at the top of the list.

SOBOs finishing up should hit the Smith House in Dahlonega. AYCE with really good fried chicken. I go once a year but without a thru hiker appetite I don't get my $15 worth.

Skyline
02-27-2012, 23:58
Gotta agree the Home Place in Catawba is a must-stop.

The mexican restaurant in Daleville mentioned here is called Rancho Viejo, and is part of a small regional chain that also has a location in downtown Luray VA, west of Thornton Gap.

Closer to the AT (about halfway into Luray, at the foot of the Blue Ridge) is Brookside Restaurant. On the left if hiking or driving westbound. They have a popular AYCE buffet at lunch and dinner every day, and an AYCE breakfast buffet weekends and holidays. Hiker-friendly, too!

Pony
02-28-2012, 00:11
Jacob's Pub in Dalton, MA has great Reubens


Yes, and huge. Although I was a bit embarassed when I ordered it and the guy next to me commented on its size. I proceeded to demolish it, then moved to a table of fellow hikers and cleaned up their leftovers. Unbelievable the kind of appetite you have after hiking that far.

Ming's and the Whistle Stop were great too.

I don't hear it mentioned very often, but if I were to thru hike again, I'd plan on staying in West Hartford VT. The general store there has excellent food. There is a guy a couple of doors down that will let you camp in his back yard, but my guidebook told me to ask at the store about camping. Nice guy though, and had no problems with me getting a six pack to drink. So, I had an 18" sub and a sixer of pbr for dinner while camped out in this guys yard. Next morning I went back to the store and got the full belly breakfast. We're talking about three plates of food. Eggs, bacon, sausage, half a plate of hash browns and a plate of pancakes that would be too much for a non hiker. And even though I had 3-4 cups of delicious green mountain coffee, the owner charged me for one, and wouldn't let me pay for refills. That is without a doubt the most stuffed I was on the trail, althought the Whistle stop came in a close second.

Johnny Thunder
02-28-2012, 00:18
i feel like i make this list about once a year so let's revisit...heading north...

the mexican place in franklin
the smokey mountain brewery in gatvegas
the gas station bbq in newport (don't tell curtis)
maria's restaurant (tell curtis)
the place across from the outfitter in hotsprings
pretty much every place in downtown asheville. go there. seriously. the indian place has a killer lunch buffet and is a block from the new hostel.
lazy fox (or is it sly fox?) if you get a b and b room in damascus. biggest breakfast. ever.
that barn place in atkins (trail right)
the homeplace in catawba
the mexican place in daleville
ming's is good in waynesboro
so is the buffet out on the highway near harpers
i love the food at the doyal.
and the pizza place north across the street. ramunto's? i forget.
at culver's gap in NJ turn right (NOT LEFT). Gyp's sucks. go to the blue ribbon bar on the lake and have the BIGGEST CHICKEN SANDWICH EVER. and locals buy you beers b/c they never see hikers.
go to new york and have a falafel. and a pizza.



that's all i remember now and 7000 miles away.

dren
03-01-2012, 11:52
Hey all. About a mile past the mexican joint in Daleville, VA is an excellent gourmet dounut place called Blue Collar Joe's. The owner was in one of those contests on the Food Network. They didn't fare so well in the contest...they had to do a sculpture or something. The flavor is out of this world though, and reasonably priced. Also, right across the road is a decent italian dive with an ice cream vendor in the parking lot. It's worth the walk. Turn left on RT 220 if your're NOBO and right if you're SOBO.

Lone Wolf
03-01-2012, 11:58
http://www.shirleyshomecooking.com/

at US 321/67 Wautauga lake hitch 6 miles east/right if NOBO. it's AYCE kinda like the Homeplace

JAK
03-01-2012, 12:14
This thread is hands down the best argument I've seen yet for budgeting > $2 per mile.
Heck, I might even thru-drive it.

My vote is for Harold's of Abilene Texas, if you can get a shuttle.

dserum06
03-01-2012, 15:31
Thanks to everyone, I will have to pen and paper all of these!! I am excited :)

rocketsocks
03-01-2012, 15:46
And if you don't/didn't care for the meal,please don't tell em to ---- it,as this would be detrimental to other hikers coming after you.Thank you.;)

southpaw95
03-01-2012, 15:55
The Homplace in Catawba
3 Little Pigs in Daleville

and any Waffle House along the way.

Memphis Tim
03-02-2012, 12:47
Joe to Go?

Memphis Tim
03-02-2012, 12:52
Isn't there. Place in Jersey that's so unfriendly to hikers that some of the guidebooks stopped listing it? If I recall it had some sort of "keep your backpacks outside" sign hanging out front when I passed by...

The good news is that the rest of NY/Nj seems to have a sandwich place every couple of road crossings, there's a reason they call it the deli belt.
Let's try again with context. Joe to go? Two more recommendations Taoromina's Pizza on US 30 and Water Gap Diner in PA.

Jeff
03-02-2012, 14:36
Mary's breakfast at the Mountain Harbour Hostel on 19E.

mikec
03-02-2012, 15:44
One place that I just remembered was the Fife N Drum in Kent, CT. Had a very good steak there. Not cheap but good.

flemdawg1
03-02-2012, 16:49
Yay's: Quincy's Pizza Damascus VA, Sheetz, Waynesboro PA (convenience store with good hamburgers)

Nay:River's Edge BBQ, Erwin TN (just not good at all)

Drybones
03-02-2012, 18:03
The Home PLace is the only eatery I plan to modify my hike to be there at supper time. Years ago I lived in Roanoke and went over the mountain every chance I had to get their great home cooking...hope it's still as good.

ATSeamstress
03-02-2012, 19:48
Isn't there. Place in Jersey that's so unfriendly to hikers that some of the guidebooks stopped listing it? If I recall it had some sort of "keep your backpacks outside" sign hanging out front when I passed by...

The good news is that the rest of NY/Nj seems to have a sandwich place every couple of road crossings, there's a reason they call it the deli belt.

Joe to Go. If you don't mind the guy's attitude, he does have great breakfast sandwiches and a nice selection of sodas, cookies, chips, Gatorade, coffee, and other goodies. Gyp's Tavern, at the same road crossing, is said to be very hiker friendly.

ATSeamstress
03-02-2012, 19:56
South Mountain Inn in Maryland was one of my favorite stops. It's a bit pricey, but I hit it on Sunday at lunch time and they had a buffet for $14. That was in '05. It was very, very good, and AYCE.

I would second the Whistle Stop and Home Place.

ATSeamstress
03-02-2012, 20:28
Gyp's Tavern, at the same road crossing, is said to be very hiker friendly.

I just read the entire thread. My comment concerning Gyp's was based on what one hiker on the trail told me. But others here have obviously had a different experience.

adamkrz
03-02-2012, 21:02
Kent Pizza in Kent Ct is very good.

Not cheap but I really enjoy the food at the AMC lodges and Huts.

Zipper
03-02-2012, 22:34
I agree with all the above recommendations.
And I'll especially second the vote for the Lazy Fox Inn in Damascus - a breakfast to remember and a lovely place to stay if you want to splurge instead of staying at a hostel. And maybe you can go just for breakfast, I'm not sure. Call Ginny and ask her.
I didn't see Mountain Meadows Lodge in Vermont listed. It's right around the end of the Long Trail, I think, near Kent, and it is directly on the trail. Beautiful setting and they'll make lunch for you. You might not get to pick what you have, but it was all delicious to me. They also do mail drops (or they did in 2009, anyway.) I took a zero there and it was lovely.

Zipper
03-02-2012, 22:37
Oh, and I had no trouble at Joe's in NJ. Had an incredible breakfast sandwich there (why can't you get hard rolls anywhere else but NJ area??) and also ordered a sub to pack out for lunch. Yummy.

And the Whistle Stop in Vermont is also fabulous. There's a convenience store about a half mile down the road. I ate dinner, then walked down to the store for a light resupply, then came back to the Whistle Stop for dessert. I was so full I couldn't move. Delicious food!

Berserker
03-05-2012, 13:06
Being a section hiker I typically don't stop in towns that often on my hikes, and when I get my good town meal at the end I'm in my own car so I can go wherever I want. With that said a few places that are either near the trail or in a popular trail town that stuck in my mind are as follows:

Wilson's Diner in Franklin, NC (great little greasy spoon for breakfast right down the street from Ron's Budget Inn)
Siciliy Pizza in Damascus, VA
The Red Barn near Atkins, VA (decent AYCE and about 100 yards off the trail)
The Inn at Long Trail (great food, drinks and atmosphere)

Out of all those I have to give additional kudos to the Inn at Long Trail because it's all self contained. You can get a decently priced room there for the night, and the pub/restaurant are in the same building.

cabbagehead
03-12-2012, 16:58
The only place I found to be unfriendly was Joe to Go (NY/NJ border area). He will only allow people in if they leave their pack on the side of the building. I would've bought a sandwich if I could leave my pack in the front of the building (where I could see it).

There were so many good delis in NY. My favorite was Foodies (around Bear Mtn., right before the Hudson River). It wasn't in the book.