Cheap Eating near HersheyPark?

[bigmama67]

Hey, all,

We are going to Hershey Park this coming weekend...staying at the campground. We will do the Friday night "preview" and Saturday all day at the park. Looking for reasonable dining near the park. I am looking at Restaurant.com - I do not have the Entertainment book - any other thoughts? We haven't been in a couple of years and things are super-tight now. Thanks!

 

[robin09]

Hey, all,

We are going to Hershey Park this coming weekend...staying at the campground. We will do the Friday night "preview" and Saturday all day at the park. Looking for reasonable dining near the park. I am looking at Restaurant.com - I do not have the Entertainment book - any other thoughts? We haven't been in a couple of years and things are super-tight now. Thanks!

we stayed maybe 10 minutes away, I forgot the hotel name... but we ate at Hershey Family Restaurant, people were pleasant and the food was good... 257 North Hershey Road, Harrisburg Pa. I reviewed it on tripadvisor....they have a page on facebook also... Hope that helps!

 

[stitchfriend]

We are season pass holders. We usually eat at the HersheyPark Place. They have good food and pretty reasonable. It's right outside of the gate entrance.

There is a Red Robin and Wendy's near the park. The Wendy's is always crowded and very slow service.

Hope this helps.

 

[Happyjen27]

Check out Yelp. It helped me a lot on my Niagara Falls trip. I think we ate at a Subway one evening, and Olive Garden one evening. I'm not normally a chain person, but we were there with my picky Uncle.

 

[ssawka]

There is a reasonably priced Italian place across the street from the medical center called Piazza Sorrento. They have both a table service side and a counter service side. There are also quite a few chain restaurants (Bob Evans, Panera, Hoss's Steak House, etc.) near the campground in Hummelstown. The restaurants at the Hershey Lodge can be a little pricey, but are very good. On the more casual end are The Bears' Den and The Hershey Grill. Closer to the park, there is a Red Robin and Houlihan's (I have not eaten here, but have eaten at other locations and it was fine).

 

[EagleScout]

The Hershey Pantry is not too expensive- next to Hampton Inn, about 1-2 miles from park gate . You can probably preview their menus/prices online. Also, I know in Hershey there is a large, very nice full service grocery store, where you could probably get supplies, etc. (We have used it to stock our hotel room.) The only caution on that is that HERSHEYPARK itself has a pretty strict no outside food policy, so cannot bring the food into the amusement park.

 

[MickeyMom2Boys]

There are several places near Hershey. To add to what has been posted already, there is a Bob Evans and a Fuddruckers very close by, other fast food places, and plenty of home town restaurants. I don't know how to begint to tell you where they all are, but you won't have any trouble finding them. We used our GPS and searched for restaurants near us and found plenty. There is also a Cracker Barrell about 15 minutes away.

 

[ssawka]

The Hershey Pantry is not too expensive- next to Hampton Inn, about 1-2 miles from park gate . You can probably preview their menus/prices online. Also, I know in Hershey there is a large, very nice full service grocery store, where you could probably get supplies, etc. (We have used it to stock our hotel room.) The only caution on that is that HERSHEYPARK itself has a pretty strict no outside food policy, so cannot bring the food into the amusement park.

Yes, if you are looking to cook at the campground, there is a Weis Market in Hummelstown (about a mile from the campground). Just follow Hersheypark Blvd. towards 322 and you'll enter a large retail area (well, large for rural PA).

 

[Alexle2007]

There is a Chinese buffet right at the Hershey exit off 322 that we always eat at. The small shopping center also has a Pizza Hut and a diner (never been there so I have no idea how the food is). Across the street is an Applebee's. if you to go Chocolate Ave, there are a ton of places to eat.

 

[MSSANDRA]

And take time one day to walk over to the world of chocolate for dessert. The bakery has an out of this world delicious cup cake selection. They also have a yummy ice cream selection and lots of free samples!

 

[disny_luvr]

If you want really cheap, you could also go to the Sheetz located near many of the other restaurants mentioned above. Sheetz is a gas station comparable to a Wawa's. You can get anything imaginable to eat there. MTO's, fries, salads, wraps, donuts, snacks, hotdogs, drinks, etc. I think you can buy 2 hotdogs for 99 cents. I'm just throwing this out as another option.

 

[bigmama67]

Wow, everyone, thanks for all the suggestions! I remember we ate lunch at that Red Robin when we got to Hershey 2 years ago and the service was SLOOOW but everyone is entitled to off days, right? The food is always decent there. The Chinese buffet sounds good too because I never took DS after school was over as I promised to. We need a bit more than a gas station because DH in particular has to have low-cholesterol food but we all prefer healthier options (DS does not even like fries, for example, which is actually great!)

I appreciate the info. I also see a Restaurant.Com coupon for Perkins in Harrisburg and they are usually pretty good. ;o)

 

[ssawka]

If you want healthy, the Hoss's in Hummelstown has a huge salad bar. To get there, you would head down Hersheypark Blvd. to 322 West, then it is just a few miles down 322. It is very close to Hershey. If you continue down 322 a bit further, there is also a WalMart and a Sam's Club.

 

[Arkansan]

I will suggest the Chocolate Ave. Grill on Chocolate Avenue in Hershey. It is right across the street from the Hershey Story (museum). Also good is the Soda Jerk in Hummelstown just down from the Sheetz. It is a 50's style diner--huge menu and breakfast all day long. There is a Panera Bread near the K-mart.

For discounted tickets, go to the Giant grocery store. They sell discounted tickets at the customer service desk. I think an adult ticket is $12 less than at the parks. It is a very nice grocery store, too, if you need snacks for your hotel room. Have a fun trip!

 

[3angelsmom]

There is a reasonably priced Italian place across the street from the medical center called Piazza Sorrento. They have both a table service side and a counter service side.

We tried Piazza Sorrento recently and had a bad experience. There was only 1 other party in the restaurant besides us (at the counter service side; table service was closed) and after 35 minutes I had to cancel the order for 2 slices of pizza and fries. When I asked for a refund, lo and behold, the fries magically appeared. Seems they were filling all of the take out orders and ignoring the restaurant customers. I thought it was overpriced too.

Love love love the Hershey Pantry. Delicious food at a reasonable price. We always try to stop there especially for breakfast when we are in the area. The lines to be seated can be long but service is efficient. The stuffed french toast is to die for.
Have a good time!

 

[3mickeymom]

and has big burgers and unlimited fries. I get their cobb salad and it is huge. If we eat there, we only have one meal, since no one is very hungry at dinner. Maybe have a snack in the evening. That saves some money, just eating a lunch/dinner combo.

 

[ssawka]

We tried Piazza Sorrento recently and had a bad experience. There was only 1 other party in the restaurant besides us (at the counter service side; table service was closed) and after 35 minutes I had to cancel the order for 2 slices of pizza and fries. When I asked for a refund, lo and behold, the fries magically appeared. Seems they were filling all of the take out orders and ignoring the restaurant customers. I thought it was overpriced too.

Sorry to hear you had a bad experience. We've always had good service there, but we have only eaten at the counter service once because the table service had no tables available. We like Piazza Sorrento because it is one of the few places in Hershey that has a decent selection of gluten free options for DD.

 

[ssawka]

and has big burgers and unlimited fries. I get their cobb salad and it is huge. If we eat there, we only have one meal, since no one is very hungry at dinner. Maybe have a snack in the evening. That saves some money, just eating a lunch/dinner combo.

Yes, RR food is always good, however I do agree with the PP. This location seems to always have very slow service.

 

[DisneyMissy318]

Thanks OP for the original post - we are headed to Hershey Park in two weeks for our first ever visit! All great info to have. I didn't know about the night before preview - which will be perfect for us, as we are arriving mid-day on Friday. I realize things will be crazy busy, but it's summertime!

Not to hijack - but does anyone have info on the Hershey Factory tour? I remember doing that as a kid and visiting the store afterward (I also remember seeing the roller coasters across the parking lot and my Dad saying he wasn't spending the $$ to go in - but that's an issue for my therapist! LOL!)

Looking forward to checking out a new park!

 

[hiwaygal]

At the exit off 322 headed toward Hersheypark and the campgrounds, on the right is the Weis market, Kmart, Panera Bread, a Sushi place and a Chinese take-out all within the same strip. Across from them (also on the right) is an Applebees.

On the left is the Cocoa Diner (never ate there), McDonalds, KFC, Wendy's, Sheetz, the Chinese Buffet, and my personal favorite Isaac's (YUM!). Isaac's is a great healthy/deli alternative. Across from them (also on the right) is Bob Evans and Taco Bell.

Further down closer to HersheyPark you'll find the Wendy's, Dunkin Donuts, Red Robin. There's also a Subway and a Starbucks in the Outlets.

Fuddruckers is on 322 and there's also a Mexican (Luna) and Italian (Dafnos) restaurant.

Hope that helps some - definitely try Isaac's if you get the chance!