First , go hike the beautiful Seneca Rock trail all the way up to the observatory deck . It's about 3 miles in all. And then come to Front porch and order a pizza, sit on the deck and enjoy it. Order a beer too if you are so inclined! We were considering whether we should go to Yokum's next door, but the gentleman behind is said the pizza was great and so we decided to stay. And boy are we glad we did! The best pizza , the crust was the right amount of fluffy and crunchy . The cheese was stringy and they are generous with the toppings you pick. My kids said this was the best pizza they had. I don't know if it was the hike but they even ate the crust ( which they never do!). The potato wedges were delicious too. I saw a lot of folks getting the calzones as well. As we were leaving we met one of the owners and conveyed our compliments and she said the recipe has been in the family for a long time and that it came from Italy. That would explain the fresh tomato sauce and the delicious crust. Definitely come here! read more

Front Porch Restaurant - 16'' pizza - Pizza Near Me

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Such a fun place to go after a long day of hiking. Delicious and filling! Great environment and service was wonderful!

It is what it is, a place to stop by after hiking to grab a bite to eat. The pizza wasn't too bad although I requested well done and it wasn't. My crust was a bit soft for my taste. The balcony view is amazing! So I added an extra star just for the view of Seneca Rocks. Also they aloud dogs, our group had a few of them and it was nice to be able to bring them inside with us. They could have improve their salad as my side salad was romaine and two pieces of tomato. read more

Front Porch Restaurant - a can of almost heaven amber ale - Pizza Near Me

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Literally, the worst dining experience of my life. My reuben sandwich was served about 10 minutes after my friend's meal. Immediately, as the server set it on the table, she offered to make a new one. Anyone could see it was burnt. I decided to politely ask for a refund and go eat elsewhere. I'd had a slice of my friend's pizza anyhow. Then I hear shouting from the kitchen. The men cooking were yelling at the server to give us the F-ing refund and get us out of there. He was cursing, using the F-bomb among other things. I began to feel uncomfortable and scared. On top of that, the sever didn't want to give the refund. I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone for anything at any time. It's also very run down, the portions are small, and nothing I saw looked fresh. Stay far away. read more

Front Porch Restaurant - a sandwich and chips in a basket - Pizza Near Me

I see the confusion in the mix of reviews. This is not fine dining folks. It is On the porch of an old general sore with an amazing view of Seneca Rocks. But it is really a diner that has homestyle cooking with paper place mats. Atmosphere is country. The menu generally like that of a roadside eatery...burgers...a lamb sandwich, some subs...country style spaghetti (huge portions with like 7 meatballs)...and the pizza. I was expecting crappy diner pizza and, instead, YUM. The crust was chewy, tasty, perfect. Sweet sauce, canned mushrooms. It is what it is and it's good. To the tourists that WV appreciates so much, this is really worth coming to. Lower expectations that have been raised by reviews...this is not Wolfgang Pucks...it's not a slick NY pizzeria...it is not a chainly brick oven joint...it is a locally owned mom and pop who has found a really delicious pizza recipe that draws locals and tourists alike. With loads of family restaurants along the highway to Dollys Sods and Seneca...that have seen better days, I'd pick here. And, if you want fine dining...go to Elk River Inn in Slaty Fork.Seriously. AWESOME. read more

Cool place in terms of atmosphere and scenery I guess but man the staff was pretty rude and the food was subpar. I don't expect a whole lot when it come to service at a small restaurant like this but no one there really seemed to give a crap about providing even an ounce of friendly service. You have to order up at the cash register which is kind of unclear. Some lady was ordering in front of me and she went back to the table to grab her credit card. I thought she was done ordering so I stepped up to the guy and kind of looked at him and the guy just kinda stared back at me and didn't say anything which was pretty awkward. So I started ordering my food and he just seemed kind of annoyed and said with a straight face "I'm still ringing her up." The lady came back and finished her order and the dude just walked away and left me there and I was like wtf? Luckily another employee came up and took my order but she wasn't exactly a hoot and a half. Shame because I normally tip as I've worked in food service before but I couldn't justify leaving these folks a tip because they didn't even pretend to care. It took a good 25 minutes to make two sandwiches and some frozen mozzarella sticks. That thing happened where the people who sat down after us got their food way before we did. I got a meatball sub which was alright but nothing to write home about. My sister got a steak sub which she described as "pretty gross." Also word of the wise - if you do come here, don't park directly below the porch. Some dumb kid sitting at the table behind me spilled his soda off the edge of the porch and it landed directly on my car. read more

Kind of cool to eat above the general store on the porch, which isn't a front porch at all -- it's more of a side deck. But you get a good view of the rocks. The menu was more diverse than I would've expected out there in the middle of nowhere, and this was probably the best place we found to eat while in the area over the weekend. When you're in the Seneca/Smoke Hole/Petersburg area, you're really much better off just grilling your own food around a campfire because there aren't many great options that we've been able to find. But Front Porch had very good service and reasonable prices, and we liked the food. The half-pita was stuffed so full, my girlfriend was glad she didn't order the full one. However, the chips that came with it were just generic plain Lay's -- and I can prove that because you can see into the kitchen where they keep dozens of bags of them lying around in plain view. I had the pizza, which was surprisingly good. They do seem to advertise themselves as a pizza place, and they supposedly make the dough fresh there daily. It was a VERY good dough, and they were pretty generous with the toppings. I really liked it -- BUT, the toppings were all canned, even the mushrooms. If they combined that dough recipe with fresh, locally sourced toppings, this place could potentially be off the chain. I ordered hot tea and, whereas many places would bring you a selection of several teas to choose from or at least have a green tea, I got the most generic black pekoe tea imaginable. It had zero flavor but tasted a little better when I dumped a few packets of Sweet 'n' Low in it (no Splenda or Truvia here, sorry)! The ice water is DEFINITELY well water. Or maybe just that's how the West Virginia tap water tastes. I didn't actually mind it, but it's noticeable for sure. If I'm ever back in the area, I'd probably go here and get another pizza, but only because there aren't any good restaurants around and because the only other pizza options are Hunt Brothers and Fox's (both gas station/gift shop chains) and Pizza Hut (ew) back in Petersburg. To sum it up, I'd say you can't go wrong with Front Porch if you're in Seneca because it's probably your best bet, but don't expect anything miraculous. read more

My wife and I got a pepperoni pizza and the appetizer combo (which comes with fried mozzarella sticks, fried zucchini, and fried cauliflower). The pizza was a bit greasy but otherwise great and just tasted fresh and homemade. The fried appetizers were somewhat run of the mill, but really hit the spot; the fact that they were served with salsa seemed weird at first, but tasted great. For $22, the two of us were stuffed full, got friendly service, and a great view. Make no mistake, the Front Porch is not worth going out of your way for it, but if you're in the area, it's a great and delicious choice (quite possibly one of the only choices in the area). Don't go in with massively high expectations, and you'll be satisfied. If you're looking for something more than a hole in the wall pizza joint, you're best off traveling to one of the larger towns in the surrounding counties. read more

Front Porch Restaurant - View from "The Front Porch" - Pizza Near Me

I crave pizza from Front Porch whenever I head out to Seneca Rocks because it is just that good. The view is amazing as well. You can sit there with your buddies pointing out what you did during the day (routes you climbed...trails you hiked) and enjoy the starry night sky. This place is super chill with a great BYOB policy. There's a general store downstairs where you can buy a 6 pack and then carry it up to the restaurant. How awesome is that? read more

Gotta say "major fail" because of our experience yesterday. Our group of 17 went to Seneca Rocks and then 4 of us went early for a bite here. #1. The eating is all done upstairs, and not so easy for us older folks to climb a jillion steps. Where is ADA when you need them? #2. We sat and then waited a full 10 minutes (in the blistering heat) and never were offered water or nothing, because they were "busy". #3. We finally just left, and seemed surprised at our grumpy group as we left. No apologies here. #4. We went up the road to a newer Subway and got waited on immediately and in an air conditioner environment by friendly help. So much for rustic charm. read more

You can't argue with the location: atop Harper's General Store, the Porch has an incredible view of Seneca Rocks; and it's usually lit up like a postcard in the evening sun as you are dining here. Dining on the porch, soaking in the view, and enjoying your favorite beverage under the BYO policy would all make this place worthwhile if all they served was microwave burritos. But it turns out the pizza is really good. No, it's downright great. We've gone back and forth for years: Is the pizza great because even shoe leather would be appetizing after a long day of hauling gear and climbing runout, exposed, sandbag-rated trad classics? Or is the pizza great because it's great. We're pretty sure after this trip that the pizza is simply great. With two families, we ordered 3 different pizzas, and everyone raved about all 3. We even grilled up the leftovers on the campfire next night. If this place was in Frederick or Westminster - the line would be out the door every night. In the middle of nowhere, with the awesome Appalachian backdrop, it's nothing short of spectacular. read more

The pizza was fantastic and a great way to end our day after we hiked to the Seneca rocks overlook. The view from the porch was amazing and the staff were extremely friendly and helpful. read more

The Front Porch was just what we needed on a beautiful hot July afternoon. We were starving after a long drive thru the mountains (with very few dining options) and that porch was a sight for sore eyes. We were super stoked that our dog Gypsy was welcomed with a bowl of water. Things got better after placing our order for pizza with ham & pineapple and a couple side salads and I ran downstairs to buy a cold 6 pack of local craft beer from Harpers general store. We love sipping quality beer at BYOB prices...The porch offers a magnificent view of Seneca Rocks so we settled in and watched the climbers with our binoculars Hint: The restaurant should provide a pair because our binoculars proved to be very popular and a great conversation starter among our fellow diners as they were passed around. Overall we had a great time. We agree with other yelpers that the pizza was surprisingly good with a thick but pastry-like crust. Our salads were iceberg-heavy but the fresh tomatoes were tasty and the whole salad was cold and crisp. The scene was unpretentiously wholesome mountain Americana and agreed with us nicely. The general store had a border collie behind the counter (which we liked) and staff were obviously long-time locals and very friendly to us. This is the type of afternoon we were looking for. We recommend reading Roger H's review. Three years later still right on. read more

Sorry but this place is slightly overrated with 5 stars. Food is around 3 stars, Service 3 stars, View (outside) 4 read more

We got the hand tossed pizza. The crust was done perfectly; just the right crispiness on bottom and soft and chewy on top. The cheese was "gooey" like it should be and not baked to a crisp like many places. The toppings were plentiful and the taste was delicious. The staff was not friendly at all. We heard them complaining about other customers and no one ever came by to see if everything is "okay." There is no table service. We had to stand in a line for quite some time to place our order. The view of Seneca Rocks was good from our seat. The prices are reasonable. The restaurant is on the second floor, so if you are not able to climb stairs, this place is not for you. read more

The pizza exceeded my expectations! A must try! May be some of the best dough/crust I've ever had. The store below the restaurant sells beer, and we were allowed to bring it up to the restaurant, which was nice. read more

The pizza dough is fresh and the view is nice. Don't expect much in the way of service. read more

Front Porch Restaurant - a woman standing on a porch - Pizza Near Me

This was pretty much the only place to go eat near Seneca rocks where we were staying at the base camp so we figured why not! We walked in and sat ourselves and were also told we had to get back up and come to the front to order. I thought that was super weird because we just ordered at the server computer next to her while she typed it in there was no counter or anything. And we also paid after our meal. So I'm not sure why that was protocol. Other than that the pizza was soooo tasty after a long day of active things. It was so cheesy and the sauce was flavorful. We got it with hot peppers and pepperoni. It came super hot and melty and just absolutely hit the spot. If you want alcoholic drinks you have to bring them up from the store below. Not a dressy place but perfect to fill the tummy. read more

This place is terrible. For some reason I had it in my mind that it was awesome and drove all the way from Davis passing many restaurants to eat here. I had the famous lamb pita sandwich and it was complete crap. It came with generic chips. The service was also horrible and everytime the server brought me an ice tea she never put any ice in it, so it was hot. And the water is some type of well water that isn't very good at all. Then it hit me, last time I was here the year before it was just as terrible and the service was just as bad. My wife and one of my kids have wheat allergies so there isn't much on the menu so she could pretty much only have the salad. We asked if it could be ordered with some grilled chicken on it and they gave her one tiny piece and charged us over $10. The side salad that came for free with her $6 meal at the Greenbank Observatory was bigger and tastier than the salad here. How sad is that, that a government owned restaurant in a facility where the primary purpose isn't a restaurant offers better, cheaper food with better service? Completely sad, we won't be back here. I think our meal...the salad, two teas, the pita sandwhich, and a side of cheese covered Ore Ida potato wedges was over $50. Avoid at all costs. Drive to Elkins and eat at CJ Maggie's or the Railyard or to Greenbank and eat at the observatory. No kids menu either. read more

Nice location and friendly service. The "Appalachian" dressing had good flavor, although the side salad was nothing more than iceberg and one or two shreds of carrots. Avoid the tuna pita at all costs. Both I and another diner I ran into afterwards agreed it was tasteless. She couldn't even finish it. My wife's grilled chicken was nothing special, and burned her when she first picked it up. I asked about the pies for dessert, after a lot of questioning the waitress finally admitted they were neither local nor homemade, but insisted they were still good. I passed. read more

We stopped here for dinner after a long day of hiking nearby...my husband was skeptical about stopping because of some of the other reviews but you have limited choices and I was starving so said what the heck. We go in through the door and walk up the stairs to the restaurant on the right side. As soon as we walked through the door, people started staring at us. It was a little awkward. We weren't told to wait to be seated so we went ahead outside to grab a seat on the porch area. The view of Seneca Rocks from the table we sat at was phenomenal. I ordered the spaghetti dinner and my husband ordered the bbq pulled pork. The spaghetti was FABULOUS!! I loved it so much, I couldn't even finish it. The sauce was sweet so I would say they put sugar in it, the meatballs were incredible as well. We had to wait very little time for our food and we were mostly pleased. They allow dogs so we had to deal with another customers dog staring at us through the entire meal, plus the people at the top across from us were obnoxious and loud. (They weren't local) I was born and raised in WV so I understand there is a cultural difference. Due to the experiences of this I took off one star, but my food was excellent, the waitress was friendly and the views whilst eating were perfect. I would definitely eat here again. read more

The food is good but nothing to get too excited about...but the view is great and the two times I've been there the staff was very friendly and welcoming. read more

Old Fashioned Grocery (downstairs) - five stars for the quirkey Americana of it all.... Food & Service - eh, three stars View of Seneca Rocks - yes, five stars read more

If I could give this restaurant zero stars, I would. I have never had a worse customer service experience in my life. Yesterday, I needed to bring 20 students from Spruce Knob to Buckhannon, WV. Being such a large group, I called last week to let them know we were coming, then we called our order in on Sunday at 11 am when they opened. Six pizzas, one salad, and 5 of the combo appetizer baskets (a selection of fried mozzarella sticks, cauliflower, and zucchini). When we arrived, I was bringing up the rear of the group and was confronted by the owner. He wanted to confirm that we were the group from Moorefield (we weren't) and rudely told me that we were supposed to be there at 11:30. I said we weren't that group and that we said we would be there between 11:45 and noon. We were five minutes late. He argued that our food was getting cold in the kitchen. I tried to be nice to diffuse the situation, asking what we could do to help. I had all of the students gather up their place settings and go downstairs so we would be out of the way of the families and other customers eating upstairs. They asked for our drink order and I just ordered waters for everyone to make it easy. I then took a handful of students upstairs to carry down cups and our pizzas. We literally served ourselves. The servers kept apologizing for the owner's behavior. After we were finished eating, I had the students scrape off their plates onto one empty pan, and about 7 of them walked all of the used plates, pans, serving ware, etc. up the stairs into the kitchen so the wait staff didn't have to make multiple trips down the stairs to clean up. WHILE THEY WERE CLEANING UP FROM THEIR OWN LUNCH, a woman who I am assuming to be the owner's wife actually yelled at them for BEING IN THE WAY! Hello? They are doing your job for you. I took pity on the wait staff and put a 20% tip on the $179.51 bill, bringing the total to $215.51. After chastising one of the servers for not knowing how to ring up the order on the cash register in front of me, the owner's wife rang us up. Before we left, I went downstairs to the general store in search of the owner. I couldn't find him and his employee running the general store checkout didn't know where he was, but tried to apologize for him. When I walked outside ready to leave with the group, the owner came out on the porch smoking a cigar saying he heard I wanted to speak with him. I told him I felt I was owed an apology for the way he spoke to us when we arrived. He said, "I'm sorry, but.........." (I hate apologies that go that way). He said, "I'm sorry, but you need to be on time." I explained to him that we were 5 minutes late and asked him if he's ever tried to take a group of 20 people anywhere on time. He said that that was a lesson I needed to teach them, that we all needed to learn. He said he had a business to run and if you say you're going to be somewhere at a certain time, then you needed to be there. They (the students) all needed to learn to be on time in their lives. I informed him that I would be taking the students through the area every year on the way back from the retreat center, that I had just spent $215 there in food, and that I would be stopping in Elkins in the future to eat. I have never been treated so rudely or been spoken to that way in front of so many people. Not only did he not have a problem being rude in front of my students, but several customers/families saw the original rude behavior upstairs when we arrived. I also felt like he was treating me poorly because I look young (I'm 29, but looked about 23-25). I don't think he would have talked to my colleague the same way. I never received a sufficient apology. This cruel man has a monopoly in the area, and I pity all who work for this tyrant. I IMPLORE YOU to take your money and your business somewhere else. There are some great local businesses in Elkins who would appreciate your dollars and your company. I hope a fantastic restaurant opens at Seneca Rocks and puts this jerk out of business. read more

Great food, friendly staff, and a great view makes this place one of my favorites! And it has been since I was a youngin'! Just the right place to grab a bite after a hike up on the rocks! read more

We had a pizza and it was Ok tasting (we were really hungry). The problem was the way they overcharge for toppings. If you order a pizza with half veggie and half meat, they charge you for a full serving for each. If you get an item on both sides, they still charge you twice! We were charge $4.40 for onions on both sides. Our $16 pizza ended up costing over $30! Not worth it. They have a micros register so they can charge appropriately, they just don't care to do so. Last time we eat there. The people working were nice but not worth it to go back. Beware. read more

Stopped here to get a quick bite to eat after experiencing a flat tire on my pickup. It's a little confusing as to who to give your order to and the staff generally did little to make you feel welcome. As I waited for my pizza I noticed there were several WiFi connections available. Considering the flat tire I had and that I was a not from WV I had hoped to access the WiFi to locate a source to repair my tire.. I explained to the two young staff members that I was really in a bind and politely asked for the password to one of the 7 (!) WiFi connections... They sharply told me that they were not permitted to give out the password and went back to playing on their phones....( I had zero service on my phone) I pressed them again for a password, reiterating my flat tire situation. They told me there was a pay phone down stairs. At this point I greatly regretted already paying and tipping for the pizza that was still being made. I told the young man to make my pizza to go as I would need to go someplace to get some help. Several minutes later he tossed a plate on a table and told me " pizza's done". The pizza wasn't terrible but it wasn't great. It also wasn't in a to go box, I had to interrupt their cigarette break to get a box. I would not stop here again under any circumstance as this is not the kind of hospitality I care to sponsor. read more

Fast friendly service, delicious homemade pizza, and on a beautiful day/evening, it's great to sit on the porch, which overlooking Seneca Gap read more

Don't make a trip just for The Front Porch. Make a trip for the rocks and enjoy the local fare. My opinion of the food is slightly biased since the last time I ate here was 2 nights in a row after spending 12 hours climbing the rocks. I have eaten here about 4 times total. Grab a 6 pack from the General Store's surprisingly awesome beer selection and relax while taking in another one of WV's beautiful sights. read more

I don't think the pizza is anything special, by a long shot, but after a hard day of climbing it satisfies the hunger. The people are nice and the view is spectacular. It really doesn't get much better than this place in terms of a post climb hangout spot - that's why I give it four stars - the atmosphere. read more

Seated ourselves at a large table on the deck and checked with the waitress who said it was fine. Then the other waitress came and asked us to move back inside. We waited twenty minutes for the waitress to reseat us at a table on the deck. Menu is unimpressive. I just got a house salad and their combo app platter which I didn't like because it was served with salsa and not marinara. My husband got a meatball sub which looked good, but it was obvious the meatballs are not store made. My son got the pizza (pepperoni). It was a little short on the pepperoni, but my son said it was OK. I guess you can always just go for the atmosphere. read more

This place sits on top of a general store and has a fantastic view of the Seneca Rocks. The menu is as American as it gets, and the food is about the same as what you'd get in a standard diner. It's not mind blowing, but it's still pretty good. The service was great (everyone in West Virginia seems to be so nice!). In this part of the mountains, this place is probably your best bet. read more

This is the one restaurant I MUST go to whenever come down to WV. It's very child-friendly, with a menu that suits b oth kids and adults. The food is like home-cooking, nothing fancy, but very tasty and very affordable. My grandkids, who hated vegetables, were absolutely seduced by the deep fried zucchini and cauliflower. I'm bringing my daughter and youngest grandson down with me for the first time next month and we'll be sure to eat here at least a couple of times. The view, of course, is an extra, but not the reason we come here. read more

Buy your beer downstairs at Harper's Store and bring it upstairs to enjoy with your pizza while taking in a great view of Seneca Rocks. Service can be a little slow, but take the opportunity to relax. read more

Everyone kept telling us to eat here & get the pizza. We ate here since there is NOPLACE else in WV to eat & the pizza was horrible! 2 pizzas, 4 people & nobody liked it. Very greasy, the crust is weird & the pizza is very sweet tasting... we will not eat here again. NOt sure why people like this place? Great view of the rocks though! Very busy area, lots of traffic/people to mingle with. cute country stores if you need a snack or some water. read more

I'm sad to have to report that the formerly great Front Porch cafe is now a terrible place to eat. We used to come to Seneca Rocks every other year when my kids were small, from 2005-2013, and even though the owners of the Front Porch changed frequently during that time, the pizza was always among the best I'd ever eaten. Hadn't been back there in 5 years, and we were just there over the July 6-8 weekend. Gone is the table service - now you make your selection and have to get out of your seat and go to the register to order/pay for your meal before it's even brought to you. The pizza dough is now harder than a rock, and you can see the finger prints of the person who pounded it onto the pan. The cheese was gooey and thick and covered the few pepperoni pieces we could find underneath. I almost gagged as I forced it down. Too bad ... and because there's no place else to eat in the area, we will not be camping at Seneca Shadows anymore. read more

Won't go back. We tried to eat there last week...first time there. Only a couple cars in the parking lot. We went up what was a pretty long flight of stairs to get to the restaurant and walked in. Almost every table was taken and we found our way to the front porch to find a table, which we did find one. One of the employees watched us go by but never said anything to us. We sat there for about fifteen minutes or more and still no one came to let us know they would be with us. Alot of people were getting their food, and then I saw a tour bus in the back parking lot., which explained the large crowd. Finally a woman with the tour bus came by our table, after a waitress had passed by us and never acknowledged us, after glancing down at us, and the woman told us the restaurant was closed for at least an hour until the tour group was gone. We got up and walked out. The same woman who watched us walk in, watched us walk out and never offered any kind of explaination or apology or anything. We wouldn't have minded it so bad if they had just had a sign on the door at the bottom of the stairs or one of the employees would have said something. We drove on to Canaan and ate at Big John's, where we had very good food and good service. As I said, we tried, but because of the way they handled it, we won't go back. read more