4 stars for their buffet style breakfast/brunch ending at 11am, sweet service, and a beverage - all for less than $10. The breakfast buffet spread is surprisingly good, especially the mountain of bacon that most restaurants overcook. The choices are by no means healthy (tater tots, bacon, sausage gravy, a cart etc.), but worth the indulgence if you're in the area. read more

This review is for the "Ned and Nancy" show only. It was painful. Almost all of the jokes failed to land. Actors appeared to be playing themselves, rather than characters. Singing was at best uninspiring. The writing was cliche. We saw a show here 3 years ago and loved it, but this was a waste of $100 and valuable vacation time. read more

Food was very good at a reasonable price and the play is one of the best in the area We'll be back again read more

Worst fish and lasagna, mashed potatoes, mac & cheese meat loaf salad I'm never eating here again ewww read more

Bird-in-Hand Stage - Ew - Performing Arts Near Me - Bird in Hand, Pennsylvania

We had a great day in Lancaster. Half-Stitched was a great show. The staff was awesome, and we enjoyed the luncheon buffet.

Small but very friendly and good food. Seating was a little small and close together but you can see the small stage well. Buffet was good for a buffet. read more

Since the shows are at a different location till they rebuild I thought I would give it a try. I like the show and actors, but the seating was horrible. The chairs were on top of each other and they were so uncomfortable. My back was killing me by time the show was over. I almost left early, but I was on the opposite side of the exit and did not want to interrupt everything. read more

You know that figure of speech that goes something to the effect of: "You could do worse than..."? Well in the world of Lancaster County Smorgs, if you come here that phrase does not apply because you legit cannot do any worse when you combine what you pay with what you get specifically at lunch. For the $13.50 per adult and kids pay lets call it a buck a year, you get in terms of substantive offerings...nothing. The backbone of the Thursday lunch menu would be dry meatloaf, greasy fried chicken, baked fish that was constantly out and sketchy meat quality ham balls (yes, ham balls). Past that it's just a small array of sides that would look more appropriate in warmers at Boston Market versus at a smorg except of course you're paying double BM prices for the privilege of eating things that you probably would have passed up there. Well I guess I could mention the three soups they had out because you know how big of a hit hot soup is when it's 90+ degrees outside or maybe the watermelon that was never refilled after it ran out or the super runny soft serve. The service from the drink refiller/plate clearer was perfectly fine and she did her best but again, that's not the problem here. Look Brothers and Sisters, I've come to testify that within the world of Lancaster County smorgs I've probably tried them all from Dienner's to Yoder's to Miller's to Hershey Farm to The Shade plus others and honestly in terms of value for the money Bird in Hand comes in dead last. When I say dead last I don't mean dead last like it was close, I mean dead last with a bullet going all the way down light years ahead of the next closest bottom feeder. I really tried to think of something that I can say that I enjoyed here but honestly I blacked out after a few minutes. Could that have been a reaction from all of the blandness that is served up here or maybe it was me fainting when I remembered how much I paid versus the scant quantity that was actually eaten? Never. Again. read more

Bird-in-Hand Stage - ows a sign for a restaurant - Performing Arts Near Me - Bird in Hand, Pennsylvania

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. read more

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One of my favorite buffets in Lancaster PA. Tuesday is my favorite day to go. That's when they have the best selection at the buffet in my opinion. The baked corn & ham balls are addicting. Make sure to try both the coconut cream pie & banana cream pie, too. read more

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Recently stayed at the Bird In Hand Family Inn and signed up for the meal package with my room. As a result, I ate three times at Bird In Hand Family Restaurant; two breakfasts and a dinner. All three meals were very good. First, the breakfasts. Let's be honest, it's kind of hard to screw up a breakfast buffet. Get me my coffee quickly, make sure the food hasn't petrified under the heat lamps and make sure there's bacon on my plate and we're probably at least in the passable category. The breakfasts here luckily far exceeded that. Items were hot and fresh, and the constant flow of people ensured the food turned over quickly. All the greatest hits you'd expect were there. Everything was very good, and the sausage gravy was particularly noteworthy. Dinner was on par with breakfast - food was fresh and tasty. This place is really the anti-Shady Maple. Where they wow you with sheer scope and scale, Bird In Hand Family Restaurant keeps the buffet much smaller and seems to focus on quality. The soup, salad and bread bar could easily have been enough for a meal (and it is an option at a reduced price). The fresh baked breads from their bakery across the street were to die for (truth be told, I ended up stopping by the bakery the day I left to pick up a few loaves and some truly magnificent whoopie pies to take back home with me!). The entrees on the hot line were all excellent, standard PA Dutch fare: pork and sauerkraut, broasted chicken, baked sausage, and hamballs were all terrific, as was the stuffing. While I'm normally not a huge fan of stewed tomatoes, I tried some over the mac and cheese at the urging of my dining partner, and it was fabulous. Desserts were terrific, as is to be expected in any Lancaster dining establishment that worth anything. While all of the food I had was very good, what puts this establishment over the top is service and price. All the waitstaff were friendly, prompt and welcoming. All had name tags displaying the number of years they had been working there. Some were well into the 20s, no small feat for any restaurant. Clearly ownership must be doing something right. So, the next time you're in the area and want a good, hearty meal served up by professional and smiling faces, skip the bus stop joints down the road or on Route 30 and give this place a try. I think your stomach and your wallet will both thank you! read more

Service is great here, but the food is meh, compared to other smorgasbords in this area, the buffet here is really greasy. If you have other choice for Pennsylvania Dutch food (plenty in this area), don't come here. read more

Bird-in-Hand Stage - Lunch Smorgasbord - Performing Arts Near Me - Bird in Hand, Pennsylvania

Saw the Magic and Wonder Show Monday night absolutely loved it....five stars....my son adored the magician thought he wad cool read more

Bird-in-Hand Stage - Performing Arts Near Me - Bird in Hand, Pennsylvania

We stopped by for the breakfast smorgasbord. We didn't stay at the actual hotel, my boyfriend just suggested that we stopped here since it was his favorite breakfast stop. The place was quiet with a few tables of elderly people having group conversations. After ordering, we went up to get our dishes. I got a little bit of everything, since I like to try new things. Everything was delicious and not as greasy as the reviews make it to be. Although the biscuit was hard and the bacon was thin and tasteless. My favorite part was the fruit and pastry bar. They had a smorgasbord designated just for that, which I think I should've gotten instead. There was a nice selection of donuts, puddings, yogurts, pastries, and fruits. Definitely the best part of the buffet. You can choose 10$ for the whole smorgasbord, or 5$ for the friuit and pastries. read more

Bird-in-Hand Stage - We stopped by to have the breakfast smorgasbord with the best hot chocolate in town! - Performing Arts Near Me - Bird in Hand, Pennsylvania

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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? read more

The corn chowder was absolutely amazing. I have not tried anything else, but that alone was simply worth writing about. The portions are fair sized. Personally, I'm not much of the buffet type, so I probably won't involve myself with that, however, the soup was phenomenal. If you're not much in the mood for something huge, the bowl of corn chowder is a must! read more

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! read more

I enjoy the buffet each time I eat here. Item selection is very good. I especially enjoy the pork and sauerkraut. I also enjoy the ham balls. This is not the most extensive buffet in terms of number of selections. But all the food is very tasty. . read more

How is this place in business.? For $20 a person for dry meat, sparse selection and unflavorful dishes. Blah. The only item we liked was the chicken. The whoppie pie was shameful. The coconut creme pie was good. With smorgasbord restaurants right around them they are not even in the game. Our waitress Donna was awesome. I recommend you skip this place folks. read more

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. read more

We were visiting the area for the day and went here for the Smorgasbord lunch--and we were not disappointed. I'm not sure why people posted so many negative reviews. While the food definitely was high in calories and sodium (check your diet at the door, please), I found the food to be fresh (hard to do in a buffet) and tasty. We were there at around 1pm on a Wednesday, had no wait for a table, and had excellent and friendly service. The best parts were the Broasted Chicken and the Ham Balls. I'm not sure why one reviewer called it 'left over ham with gelatinous goo' or something to that effect. It was a ham meatball; it was fairly sweet (which was surprising), but delicious. The Broasted Chicken was my favorite. Tender chicken with a crisp skin, perfectly seasoned...yum. The Chicken Pot Pie was really Chicken & Dumplings with a tasty gravy. The Stroganoff was good, but a bit salty for my taste. The salad bar was packed with lots of good, fresh veggies (it balances the bad from the steam tables), and the desserts were plentiful and tasty. I especially liked the Cherry Cobbler and the soft serve ice cream. Given that everything (including your beverage) is included in the buffet, it's a good deal. Again, I'm not sure why all the bad reviews, but I enjoyed my meal here, even though I waddled out a few pounds heavier. read more

I am not sure why the reviews are negative for this place. We eat here every time we visit Lancaster and we are never disappointed! The service is always good and the good is what I expect. There is a nice salad bar and soup as well. I like their beef veg soup a lot. There is another station with cheeses and bread and crackers as well as the main station with the hot food. I have eaten in other buffets in Lancaster and this one is my favorite. The fried chicken is always good too, There is a nice selection of desserts including ice cream and slushy machine. The kids buffet is okay too and you can get the child something off any part of the buffet. We have had friends with us who ordered off the menu and it was good as well. read more

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. read more

This restaurant has been around for a while. Used to bring my children here and now went with their children. They upgraded it beautifully yet the food still maintains its authentic American flavor and located right in the historic Pennsylvania Dutch country of Lancaster County, sightseeing and anti-aging are all within walking distance. read more

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. read more

Lots of food available on their very large buffet. The four of us all had the buffet. The food was nothing extraordinary. The best items were the broasted chicken, sauerkrout, zucchini casserole, and the ham balls. The salad bar section was okay. The dessert section was pretty good. Items such as chocolate cake, shoo-fly pie, and peanut butter pie were good. Service was very good. We stayed for the restaurant's production (almost three hours long) of Beverly Lewis' book, "The Confession", presented on their stage. It was a Amish musical. That presentaion, which has nothing to do with the food quality, was a 5. read more

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. read more

I noticed this restaurant is listed in Yelp twice. I wanted to make sure my review was in both listings. . . . If your only criteria for a good meal is quantity, then this is your place. If you are looking for quality or cleanliness, then drive on. The only flavor that shone through in the food was that of salt. Don't bother debating between the buffet and the menu items, because I'm pretty sure they just pull your menu food from the hot tables. The buffet area wasn't maintained or cleaned. Food that had fallen into another container wasn't cleaned out, nor were spills cleaned up. And then there were the bathrooms. The women's restroom was piled high with garbage, and no toilet paper in any of the stalls. My 5 year old walked into a stall with an out of order sign on it before I could stop her. The wall of the stall was smeared with blood. Yup, that happened. No one cleaned the bathrooms the whole time we were there. The ONLY reason his place gets a star is that the service staff was very nice. However, we won't be back. read more

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. read more

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. read more

Not the place to experience Lancaster County favorites. My husband and I do a yearly "staycation" and spend one day doing the kitschy tourist experience. This will not be somewhere we return. The carving station turkey was deli turkey under a heat lamp. The rest of the selections were similarly bland, overcooked and obviously not fresh or homemade. The local favorites tend to be basic, but there are lots of places that clearly take care in preparing them with quality ingredients...this is not one! One of my favorite things to eat at a place like this is buttered noodles. Hard to screw up? They managed it here! You're much better off at Dienners, Millers or even Shady Maple. read more

Awesome home made food everything was delicious. Cozy friendly atmosphere. We did the package of dinner and entertainment on the stage. Don't be fooled by the setting the performers and play are well worth it. read more

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. read more

Don't go if you have food allergies. I asked the hostess if there were items on the menu I could eat with a milk allergy and as none of them knew, they said to ask my server. Not normally a problem, but since there was a 45-minute wait, I asked to speak to someone who could tell me so we could decide if we should go elsewhere. The manager I spoke to 10-15 minutes later was not very helpful and said of course there was food I could eat, but couldn't tell me what. The server deigned to look up ingredient lists when we finally were seated. The manager also forgot to mention that everything is batch-prepared in advance, so there was no chance of anything being modified in a safe way. I go out to eat fairly often and I've never gotten such attitude for asking about how to eat a meal that is safe for me. read more

Food is pretty bad for the cost. Very generic. We ate at shady maple for lunch on our way here and it was far superior and less expensive. I asked for water 3 times and she never brought it. The waitress was pleasant but I think she was busy and forgot. read more

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. read more

It's just ok. I had to request fresh mushrooms from a part of the world that is farm-centric, which is incredibly unacceptable. The buffet is cold and would not recommend the coffee. Move on - not a stop read more

Horrible. My family and I have been coming here for 10+ years and the food and service quality has been declining in the past few. Everything is quantity over quality, and is less than impressive. Maybe it depends on what's in season, but $18 for smorgasbord dinner with canned and preserved food is not my thing. read more

Not good compared to others. Went here for lunch today, and was not impressed. For $16 I found myself picking from about the 12 main dishes aside from your 3 generic soups, salad bar and plain desserts. The food was bland and dry a lot of it seemed like canned items were used. If I ever find myself in the area again I will definitely be sticking to shady maple where it is both cheaper and and alot better tasting. read more

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. read more