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Bird In Hand Family Restaurant
Category: Restaurants American (Traditional) American (Traditional) [Edit]
2740 Old Philadelphia PikeBird In Hand, PA 17505
(717) 768-8266
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner, Breakfast
- Alcohol:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
16 reviews for Bird In Hand Family Restaurant
16 reviews in English
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Review from Adam D.
Bechtelsville, PA
11/15/2011 1 Check-in Here
Great deal for the price, like eating at Shady Maple, but on a much smaller scale. $7 for the Sunday breakfast buffet is quite a deal.
For the $7 I was really pleased. But after reading other reviews, I can see why some people were less than happy. It is pretty simple, and is not extravagant by any means. -
Review from Lianna N.
9/17/2011 8 photos
This was a recommendation of an older gentleman over at the Lancaster Visitor Center, so we trucked on over to give traditional "Amish food" a try.
Not bad, sorta a twist of German food and American food with Amish touches. It was $13 for lunch, which I feel was fair for the experience, but will likely try another place when I visit again, as it was nothing to really write home about. There is a salad bar, soups, cheese and bread station, as well as all the hot dishes and a desert station. I felt I tried a little of everything and made good use of my $13.
Not a bad experience if you are looking to go for the buffet route and want a quickie sitdown to try all things local in one place. As for the quality of the food? Average, but I was already expecting that when I found out it was a buffet. Good "starter course" to the food around here, but I will look for somewhere more authentic next time. -
Review from Mitch R.
Vienna, VA
Updated - 4/25/2011
I went back this past Saturday and I was less than impressed.
Food quality has taken a turn for the worse, and the selection was seriously lacking at the buffet line. The only local "specialty" they had was ham balls and shoo-fly pie.
The lady who was behind the steam tables was rude and was splashing stewed tomatoes everywhere when she was refilling the pan, if I weren't holding a plate it would have gotten all over my shirt and pants but she didn't say sorry nor did she even look like she cared. On the other hand, our waitress was very efficient and she was friendly.
I honestly think I could have had a better meal at Golden Corral, at least they offer steak and the price is about $10 less. I won't be returning.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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11/25/2008
I completely do not agree with Lia M's review. I don't really know what she was expecting...
I ate… Read more »
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Review from Edwin H.
Austin, TX
3/28/2011
This place is sadly mistaken. It seems they purport to use "Grandma Smucker's" Recipes. Instead, they're using "Grandma Sysco's" recipes.
Just plain awful.
And, it's so much fun to watch Amish Amos blow his nose on his dirty handkerchief just before he reaches for the ladle of mashed potatoes, or watch six screaming 8 year olds on vacation sneezing and snotting all around the buffet.
Generally, the food quality is average at best. Talk about being in the right place at the right time, where talent isn't necessary! So, it seems, you can fool all of the people some of the time! If you like frozen chicken and instant potatoes, you'll love this place. Oh yeah, did I mention that you can get real food for the prices they charge? Oy vey! Where's a good Greek Diner in Joisey when you need one? -
Review from Jeff M.
Beverly Hills, CA
5/12/2011
Went there in the beginning of the year. We came in right before they were closing and they were very nice and seated us. Our waitress was very friendly and the food was Delicious! It's dangerous but if I'm ever back in the area I would be back to eat again and go to their farmers market.
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Review from Tony B.
Boston, MA
6/27/2010
Do not eat here. They are living off of their reputations from 10-15 years ago.
We were in Amish Country for the first time in several years and we had enjoyed this place many years ago.
My kid wanted to go to Fridays for sliders, but I ignored him and we ate here. I wish we had gone to Fridays. That's a pretty bad statement.
We got here about 2:45 and the place was busy. They stuck us in the back where they were closing off so we had 7 waitresses standing around us chatting, kind of annoying. They were most likely waiting for us to leave. The service was very good though. Soft drinks come with the buffet and they never got more than 3/4 empty before another was placed in front of you.
Anyway we got the buffet since it has the same items on the menu and comes with your drink. (BTW - It is three dollars extra on Saturday so they can get a few more dollars out of the tourists for the slop they serve.)
They have dry fishy fish. (VERY fishy)
Pork riblets - This is left over bits of pork pressed into a rib like form.
Turkey - It was ok.
Roast chicken - was good.
Ham balls - left over bits of ham in a gelatinous goo pressed into a ball.
Pork and Sauerkraut. This is the main thing I wanted, but there was no pork in it and they never refilled it. I ended up getting a hot dog off of the kids menu and having that with the kraut.
Pizza - There was only two slices and they never brought out another one.
Ham slices - did not try, but looked like canned ham.
Corn soup - it used to be chicken corn chowder that was excellent, but they not have chicken corn soup instead.
Nemours other average items.
I know I got here late in the lunch hour, but they place is busy. A busload of Japanese tourists showed up about 15 minutes after we got there and still the items were not getting filled as they should.
Then there are the desserts. I guess if you are old and just want quantity this is great, but they were jus very average desserts.
They used to have some very good desserts as well as food items on this buffet. They are in the middle of meat country - you would think they could have some decent stuff. They used to have fresh sausages for example.
Anyway avoid this tourist trap - how can someone give 4 stars to a place that they had a stale desert? -
Review from Ed A.
Fort Lauderdale, FL
10/27/2011
I went for the smorgasbord rathen then order from the menu. Most of the food was very good but some not kept as warm as should be kept. There was a large variety of dishes so there is something for everyone. I am a huge fan of shofly pie but their version had a cinnamon crumb topping which I did not like; it somewhat took away from the usual flavor of the pie. The price of $15.99 for dinner was a fair price for all that is offered but the quality did not meet my expectations but I would give it a second try on another trip to this area.
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Review from Mike R.
Bellmawr, NJ
9/5/2011
I left this place feeling like I was ripped off. The selection was poor, the food quality was horrible. I usually give places the benefit of the doubt, this is actually my first Yelp review. I'd just like to warn everybody NOT TO GO HERE!
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Review from Evan E.
3/31/2011
Great food. Great service. The broasted chicken was so good I wanted to lay in a bathtub of it. It was like $12 and all you can eat. That can be dangerous. There are so many shops and a farmers market near by. It makes for a great Sunday afternoon.
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Review from Christina S.
New York, NY
1/20/2010
I don't know if I came on a good day or what, but I don't agree with these reviews. I came in the winter time when most of Lancaster is closed, so maybe that makes a difference. I was seated right away and the service was prompt and our waitress very friendly.
I did not have the buffet, but my two guests did and they really enjoyed it and kept going back for more. The food was good. Very homestyle--which was what I was expecting from a place like this. I was very happy to taste that the mashed potatoes were real. The portions are pretty big, too, and it's pretty inexpensive for everything on the menu.
My only complaint is that one of the pies I had from the dessert bar was a little on the stale side. My second pie was good. I didn't have any other dessert because I was full by the time I finished my second piece of pie :)
I'd come back here again the next time I'm near there.Listed in: Jetsetter
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Review from MoCe C.
Reading, PA
2/9/2011
The two stars are for being nice and trying to do the job of serving 3 people breakfest, but if you've been at this job for 15 years and I have to get my menus, another server gets me my creamer, and you get my order wrong on a slow day, I blame the management for there indifferance. Poor quality sysco s$%t food that's not cheap.
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Review from Bill C.
Richmond, VA
10/13/2010
Having eaten here Nov 2009, April 2010 and again this week (Oct 2010 for b'fast, lunch, and dinner--not all in one day), I can't agree with the negative reviews. I've enjoyed every meal here. Is it Cordon Bleu level food? No. Is it a very good quality buffet? Absolutely.
Lunch and Dinner generally offer similar items.The fried/broasted chicken is very tasty and not greasy. After they stopped seating last night (8pm) and late arrivals were first heading to the buffet, there was a stampede to the chicken as a final, large batch came from the kitchen. Tables are close enough to occasionally over-hear others (hey! it's only so big a place) and all I heard were compliments on that dish. I love anything they serve that includes corn. The mac-and-cheese is much to my liking: cheesy and smooth. I don't know what kids like in mac-and-cheese, but I do like this version. The pot roast and roast turkey were flavorful. The buttered noodles and mashed potatoes are always a good side choice.
Breakfast was all I would ever want: tons of bacon, french-toast, pancakes, sausage. I wasn't particularly fond of the sausage-gravy (too thick and a bit bland) and the eggs are too done for my taste.
Desserts are large in number, varied, and of the ones I've tasted, very good. The choices should satisfy everyone in your group.
Service has always been friendly and prompt (though time of day and number of diners can slow it a bit).
Look for coupons in magazines and pamphlets at rest-areas, info-centers, other hotels and welcome centers. You can save a couple bucks off each diner's meal.
All in all, I love staying at this Inn and eating at the restaurant. -
Review from Lia M.
5/22/2007
If you are visting Lancaster County, DO NOT go here. It's not authentic, homestyle or anything else it claims to be. It's more like a glorified Hometown Buffet/Old Town Buffet. Don't get suckered in. I would give this place no stars if possible. Service was fine; food was lousy. It claims to be a PA Dutch Smorgasboard (read: all you can eat buffet). In the middle of the day, it was all retirees. Just don't do it!
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Review from Eating T.
Beverly Hills, CA
11/27/2009
The line here can be quite long but if you'd really like to get to the buffet quickly there is a cafe with a bar that you can sit at most often immediately. This isn't however a good solution for more than two people really. Normally you'll be putting your name on the list and waiting around 30 minutes, but they are quite efficient with getting people in and doing so as quickly as possible. There is a bakery with loads of delicious goods and small selection of doodads and nic-naks. You can take your mind of all the delicious smelling food by looking at more delicious food. That's one thing I don't quite understand about a few of these smorgasbords, it seems like a good number of them also have bakeries connected to them. Not that I blame them but really who needs to buy another shoofly pie after having filled ones belly with all sorts of delectable Amish eats? Certainly not I.
Once your name is called you'll be escorted to your table and asked if you'd like the buffet or the menu, well the answer should be the buffet. You're server will take your drink order and bring those to you. The buffet are is setup with the hot foods as the center piece with two, mostly identical (sometimes there are a few different items on either side), buffet tables with a carving station in the middle. To the left of the hot foods you'll find the salad fixings and dressings along with their soup selections as well as a wide range of bread and rolls. There is also a nice selection of cubed cheeses. To the back right of the hot items you'll find the kid's area (Noah's Ark Buffet) which usually has hamburgers, hot dogs, pretzels, macaroni & cheese, chips, chicken nuggets and Jell-O. And lastly, to the front of that you'll find the large dessert section along with a soft serve ice cream machine.
The soups change but generally will be a chicken pot pie, New England clam chowder, chicken noodle or the sort. The salad offerings are typical as well, a good assortment of fresh lettuces and vegetables along with the regular dressings (Ranch, Thousand Island, Blue Cheese, etc). They've got your regular cole slaw, chow chow and potato salad. All of which were fairly good. One of the nice things they have is a large amount of breads, white, wheat, cinnamon raisin, white rolls, wheat rolls and more. And just next to that is cheddar, Monterey Jack and Swiss cheeses sliced into cubes. This is one of the things I really enjoy, the cheeses were all delicious.
The hot foods buffet has all your warms side and main dishes. They cover pretty much all the Amish foods you can think of, filling (stuffing), buttered noodles, mashed potatoes, green beans, corn, carrots, Harvard beets, mixed vegetables, baked lima beans,ham balls, meatloaf, broasted chicken, baked fish, pork & sauerkraut, smoked sausage & potatoes and they've also got spaghetti and pizza. In the center you'll find the carving station usually with turkey and roast beef. All the items were fantastic but the fried chicken was exceptional as was the fried shrimp. The vegetables were all good as well. You really can't go wrong with any item here.
I have a much more in-depth review on my personal blog. -
Review from Steve G.
Morristown, NJ
1/3/2010
After a late nap, we had our requisite dinner at Bird-in-Hand Family Restaurant, a "Dutch" family-style smorsgasbord, aka buffet better suited for rampant meat-eaters that are not Kosher or Kosher-style. The food was so-so yet cheap and service pleasant.
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Review from Sahand S.
Herndon, VA
5/25/2009
Have to agree with Lisa M's review. We made our first trip to the Lancaster, PA and surrounding areas today. I'm from Ohio and have enjoyed the good eats of Amish country there for many years. I was certainly looking forward to more of the same in Lancaster and boy was I disappointed by Bird in the Hand restaurant. We went there for their lunch buffet. Let me see- mashed potatoes were lumpy, stuffing was hard and old, ham balls were way too sweet, salad bar had a pretty pathetic offering for an Amish restaurant. The pickled eggs tasted more like eggs colored with red food coloring- not so pickled at all. There wasn't any type of selections of salads (potatoe, pasta, etc) on there either, and the dressings didn't appear to be homemade. Their dessert selection wasn't that great. I tried a piece of the supposedly famous shoo-fly pie and it was definitely so-so. Also, don't be fooled by their Noah's Ark kid's buffet. My son who absolutely loves mac n cheese was totally turned off by theirs. I could see why after taking a bite- didn't taste like real cheese at all. The other selections on there consisted of mostly hot dogs, chicken nuggets and sghetti (which is also found on adult buffet). Not much of a selection, even for even kids. I learned my lesson, and can only hope we make a wiser choice our next time visiting Lancaster.
