This is touted as "The Biggest Smorgasbord in the Country" ( or world) ? Not 100% sure? Smorgasbord is a "Buffet" of sorts. This place literally has EVERYTHING! The hot food steam tables are endless. And I've never seen so many "Stations" especially a "Philly Cheesesteak" station. You NEVER see a Steak station, but they have one. Prime rib etc. etc. it's very obvious to the palette that this is ALL house made food. And they do the same for breakfast! Stations for custom eggs and omelettes, custom pancakes. They literally have a Wall of deserts! Everything is super fresh due to the huge crowds of diners. How they keep this place so clean is a mystery? The staff is sticky sweet friendly! It's expensive, but where can you eat like this? Did I mention it's "All you can eat" the salad bar is bigger than the average restaurant! Highly recommended (DO NOT EAT FOR 2 DAYS) read more

I have been to a good amount of buffets in my lifetime and disappointment can't even describe how I felt about Shady Maple Smorgasbord. I'm not going to knock the kind of food because I know there are people who love cafeteria style food like pizza and chicken and soups but I definitely expected more. For $30+ per person, there should have been more than four stations that consisted of fried meats, soups and salads. read more

My daughter and I were psyched to come here on our way back home from NY. The food was OK and there was a lot of it, but the condiment stations were a complete mess ... dirty, bottles were empty, missing mustard and mayonnaise. The staff looked incredibly stressed and we had to work to try to avoid running into them on our way back to the table. The desserts were decent and there was a huge selection of them. Incredibly "Trump-y" atmosphere but i guess that's par for the course at a giant buffet in rural Pennsylvania. I think my buffet days are numbered. read more

This is the largest buffet in the entire United States. They are open for breakfast, lunch and dinner with an offering of all kinds of foods. Amish-owned and all their food is made from scratch. Highly recommended anyone to visit if you're in the area or even want to make a trip down. The staff were super kind and attentive. The location is large as it is a huge buffet location. They also have a store located downstairs of the building and their own supermarket across the parking lot. This is a huge tourist stop destination for many people. read more

See all

For years and years I've built my hopes up that when I was finally able to go to shady maple it would be the greatest buffet on earth. Well made the 3 hour drive today from winchester Virginia only to find out the food was only a half step up from what you'd get at a golden corral in your town. Price was great. $21 for all i could eat and I usually murder buffets but in my state of sadness I couldn't even eat that much lol. I think I've watched every you tube video, I've seen them make all the food from scratch... but it just didn't taste like it. If you're nearby and want a huge variety to choose from for a great price this is definitely the place. But if you live hours away and your hopes are high please don't put yourself through the disappointment read more

See all

Went to Shady Maple Smorgasbord last month with friends. Our first time and it was overwhelming - this place is huge and great for big groups. There were a total of 13 of us and got seated in one table right away. Food choices were abundant. I think for me, it was too much. I think we need to go back there again and experience the whole place more thoroughly especially the market next door. read more

See all

Had a fun time trying as much as possible at this big buffet. Price is reasonable and you get your bang for your buck here. Most of the buffet is self serve, but there are a couple of stations for food cooked on a grill or prepared to order. Lots of interesting soda flavors and different milks. Plates are removed promptly and the cooks are friendly. Loads of tables here so there was very little wait to be directed to the seating area. Decent quality food for a buffet overall. We also visited the store in the basement to walk off the food, which was quite expansive, and visited the grocery next door. Fun to see the Amish park their horses and buggies in designated parking spots. read more

See all

I was able to come to the shady Mabel booth at the Bird in Hand farmers market in Lancaster. There was a large variety of items, and this booth had a line compared to others! We could tell it was popular! I ended up trying a Whoopie pie, as I am from out of town, and have not tried them before. It was well-made, although I expected whipped cream instead of frosting as the filling, so that was a surprise! read more

Shady Maple Smorgasbord - Central Market Stand - Buffets Near Me - East Earl, Pennsylvania

See all

5 stars: I loved the omelette station (egg whites and all the veggies; no cheese). The hash brown wedges were pretty good, as was the French toast. And they had 100% pure Vermont maple syrup. 3 stars: Bacon and sausage link was fine. I would expect both to be this good from any reputable buffet. 1 star: I tried scrapple for the first time. Either it wasn't good for what it can be or I just don't like scrapple no matter where it's made. The baked hash brown casserole was very underwhelming. Overall, good value but overhyped. To get the best bang for your buck you gotta know what's good for your tastes and load up your plate on those items. So, pretty much like any buffet. read more

Shady Maple Smorgasbord - French toast, egg white omelette, fried hash brown wedge, baked has brown casserole, sausage link, bacon, scrapple. - Buffets Near Me - East Earl, Pennsylvania

Im glad I had the opportunity to explore this establishment with my friend, however im one and done. Its a huge buffet with large dining area's. Picture a huge Golden Coral. My friend and I came during lunch The employees are very nice and they do a good job of ushering away our dirty dishes. They have a no tipping policy as the service fee goes toward the employees etc. Now the real honest truth. Majority of the food is from the can. I enjoyed the non fried fish however it was drenched in oil etc. The grill stations like salmon, NY strip Etc its ok but its not seasoned prior to hitting the grill. For some reason I thought this restaurant would be more Amish style and more homemade. The apple dumplings were the only thing I enjoyed. Dessert are ok. They have gluten free options. Plenty of parking. read more

If you're hungry and looking for an all-you-can-eat buffet for a group large or small, this is the place. It's friendly, clean and the food is pretty tasty. I enjoyed the fresh fried chicken so much, I returned for another piece. Amish staples like Shoo Fly Pie, and fruit cobblers are available, however I agree with previous posters, they're bland. All said, the environment is welcoming and no one should leave hungry. read more

Shady Maple Smorgasbord - One of the entrances - Buffets Near Me - East Earl, Pennsylvania

See all

Basic food but the price is right. Everything is self service - you get your food and drinks yourselves. It's a large restaurant with many places to be seated. We came on a Wednesday I believe which is seafood night. I liked the grills. There were people cooking salmon, steak, etc right there. read more

Shady Maple Smorgasbord - Buffets Near Me - East Earl, Pennsylvania

The biggest buffet in America does not disappoint! Shady Maple is a Lancaster county landmark! We had Salad, Steaks, shrimp, (and veggies) and finished with shoofly pie & chocolate cake! This is my husband's favorite buffet! What people don't usually know is they have a huge gift shop downstairs. It's as big as the entire restaurant which can actually seat thousands of people. If you're headed to Lancaster or in Lancaster County, you have to stop at Shady Maple! read more

Hey friends! My boyfriend wanted to spend his birthday at America's largest buffet. And let's just say we are already planning our return trip! With over 200 feet of food, Shady Maple is an unforgettable experience. From the sweet treats to made-to-order meat stations, this is now my favorite buffet. The made-to-order meat stations feature cheesesteaks, burgers, sausages and steaks! All cooked to your liking, right in front of you, how cool! The buffet bars are stacked with salad bars, seafood, soups, sides, fried food, baked food, you name it! I truly enjoyed the range of options here. There's plentyyyyy to drink. Slushie machines, coffee, soda stations, tea/lemonade, fresh milk from their farms and milkshakes machines! The sweet treats are endless; pies, cakes, build-your-ice cream bowls and more! Customer service: Okay, not super friendly Prices: $33/person on a weekday. Plus free birthday meals! Plenty free parking Atmosphere: family-oriented Make sure you also check their gift shop on the lower level. I hope you enjoy! read more

See all

Smörgåsbord (noun) is a traditional Swedish buffet-style meal featuring a wide array offering a variety of foods and dishes as hors d'oeuvres, hot and cold meats, smoked and pickled fish, cheeses, and salads. This location is certainly gargantuan size for dinning hall, buffet counters and queuing for payment and waiting for table. The line moves moderately for payment and waiting for a table. There are some benches available for customers who are mobility impaired unable to stand for long times. Senior citizen and children discounts are available. My party experienced authentic Pennsylvania Dutch cooking. It was an experience with an open-mind without judgment. Dinner prices for one adult range $23.99 to $33.99 depending on the time of day, meal, and day of the week. Tax and a 12% service fee are additional, but beverages and desserts are included. Shady Maple Smorgasbord practice penny rounding when meal payment is cash since the initiated and followed by executive directive from No. 47 of the discontinuation for the U.S. penny (utterly despondent). I did obtain my sales receipt which indicate the penny rounding implemented. The sales receipt is attached to a blue slip which upon meal completion customers are to turn over signaling table clean-up. Shady Maple Smorgasbord offers a 20% discount coupon for their nearby gift shop during meal payment. This 20% discount coupon, my party gladly utilized which is a very good marketing promotion to lure customers. Restroom facilities are large with a restroom lounge. The facilities' sink is very modern as it is an "all-in-one" sink golden faucet mechanism: L (soap), middle (water), R (hand dryer). Ergo, no excess soap is dripped on the sink counter for clean-up and no water will be spilled or splattered on the floor. I have never seen this modern sink faucet. I think it is a modern convenience innovation for progress with technology always improving. Shady Maple Smorgasbord's air conditioning is rather weak during our pre-Independence Day 2026 visit as I felt warm during the Northeast heat wave oppressive humidity. The food quality is good and the selection is gargantuan. I wished there were more meat offerings as Ribeye which contains the most flavorful cut of beef. Hanger steak is my default favorite. I also wished for more seafood offerings as shrimp, salmon, Tilapia or striped bass fishes. The vegetables were a good selection. I like the baby carrots which were boiled cooked soft and fresh. The red onions were extremely strong. I wished for Caesar salad lettuce as my default vegetable, but iceberg lettuce was quietly yet noticeably substituted which did not agreed with my stomach. I despise iceberg lettuce. I did not see any chicken. There were abundant baked potato of red skin and home fries. I highly prefer potato au gratin, but to no avail. I have a predilection for chocolate lava cake and soufflé as desserts, but again, to no avail. I was hoping for ice cream as dessert, but to no avail either. Nota Bene: Shady Maple Smorgasbord is family oriented style, ergo do not expect any alcohol. Lemonade, root beer, cola, soda, ice tea, coffee, hot tea, cold water and hot water are abundantly available as beverages. Disappointedly there is no ginger ale soda available as a beverage option which would greatly reduce my anxiety and motion sickness of being in a car for four continuous hours on the road driving. Shady Maple Smorgasbord also has a gargantuan gift shop adjacent on the grounds. This gift shop is old school traditional where tourists and non-Pennsylvanians (like myself) can purchase key chains, post cards, magnets, and T-shirts. Parking is abundantly available and free. Upon promptly exiting our car the air had a high functioning stench of horse manure to high heaven! The noisome horse manure odor emanating from nearby unseen horse stables made it difficult for my party to enjoy the grounds, amid the dangerous excessive heat wave of Independence Day 2026 holiday weekend. We were among the Amish in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. read more

See all

We visited Shady Maple Smorgasbord tonight as a party of 6. It was a breeze getting through the line and after a short wait with the hostess, we were seated and ready to eat. The sheer size of this buffet can feel a little overwhelming at first, so I'd definitely recommend taking a quick lap to scan all the food and drink stations before diving in. There were a lot of highlights: lobster & shrimp bisque, endless salad bar (great variety), strip steaks with mushrooms & grilled onions and fried chicken were all absolutely delicious. We also loved the rice, French fries, baked and sweet potatoes. For dessert, the key lime pie, cheesecake, shoofly pie and ice cream were all hits and the local birch beer was a fun bonus. A couple of low points: the mixed vegetables were undercooked and unfortunately, no one in our group enjoyed the mac & cheese. Overall, a great experience with tons of options; we'd definitely come back. Thank you! read more

Shady Maple Smorgasbord - Shoofly pie!! - Buffets Near Me - East Earl, Pennsylvania

This place is huge and there were a ton of people but on a Saturday afternoon we were able to get seated within 5 minutes. There are a ton of food and drink options and I thought the grill stations were good with their fish and brisket. Their pot roast and bone in wings were solid as well. I got to try a lot of the foods and the worst thing was decent which is surprising since it is a buffet I had low expectations on the food quality but nothing was bad. I would not say anything was spectacular but at the end of the day I think for what you get and pay it was great, and I would come back. read more

I'm glad we finally had the opportunity to try this buffet, but I don't think we'll be returning. The highlights for me were the baked yams, cornbread, famous roast beef, fried chicken, and kielbasa. Those were definitely the standouts. On the downside, I was surprised by how small the self-service soft drink cups were--I felt like I needed a refill after just a few sips. I also found several dishes to be dry and bland, including the brisket, ham, and mixed vegetables. The restaurant itself is enormous, which allows for an incredible selection of food. However, because of its size and popularity, the atmosphere felt a bit cramped and chaotic at times. It reminded me of navigating a busy cruise ship buffet--lots of people, lots of movement, and not the most relaxing dining experience. Overall, it was a nice experience to have once, but it wasn't memorable enough to make me want to come back. After all, you go to a buffet for quantity, not quality. read more

Been coming here for years !!!! Endless food options, I swear all picky eaters will def find something they like. Food is fresh, delicious, service was 10/10. Line was a tad bit long, but overall wait was about 30-40 mins. Place is clean, there's a gift shop downstairs with so many souvenirs and Amish furniture. read more

See all

This is a prime example as to why humans are the greatest species on earth. To come up with such a flawless idea as this one truly encapsulates the genius in Homo sapiens. The world's largest buffet truly lived up to expectations. I haw not felt this much joyful glee waiting in a line since I was at Disney world. Nay since I was a toddler. The food here made you crave that at home cooking while scratching every desire to fill your stomach as much as possible. If I didn't have things to do after this trip you would have had to roll me out of here with how much I wish I could eaten. Worth the visit. Worth every penny. read more

See all

Food was good but nothing too spectacular as I thought it to be a really massive buffet. The buffet is split into 2 parts which have the same food as the other. There is a grill station that featured burgers (juicy), cheese steak which was disappointing and weird flavor, sausages, corn cakes and potato cakes. The fried chicken was good too. There are dessert options with pies and ice cream. There are lots of seating, staff are friendly, very old retro vibe. No need to tip. Bathrooms clean, and you pay first at the counter and leave once you are done. They have a huge store downstairs, a supermarket behind the restaurant, and a furniture store. read more

Shady Maple Smorgasbord - Buffet food. - Buffets Near Me - East Earl, Pennsylvania

Food was not fresh, including all of the hot buffet items and desserts! Low quality cafeteria food at best. Carpets were musty and prices didn't justify the quality. Tourist trap, beware! This is a major rip off! read more

Yall- we came all the way from SC and it was so worth it! Highly suggest coming early for breakfast as lines do get long. There is something for everyone- my northern husband was happy with scrapple and creamed chip beef while this southern gal found biscuits and gravy and grits! But the highlight was the donuts! Best I've ever had! My kids loved that they had different kinds of milk and icees, and I loved all of the coffee options. There's a little store downstairs that opens later. So pleased with our experience. read more

See all

Everything was pretty good. Nothing too exciting, not really sure what the hype is all about. Most of the food has flavor but it's basic mass produced buffet food. Senior discount starting at 59 yrs old. Fast process to pay and get in. Pay then wait to get seated. Tons of food and dessert options. Monday is steak night. The three options of steak were good. The steak wasn't bad. Relatively tender but way over seasoned so it was hard to taste the actual flavor of the meat. read more

See all

Shady Maple Smorgasbord is an ABSOLUTE EXPERIENCE! I have to say, this place completely exceeded my expectations. From the moment we walked in, I could tell this was somewhere special. The sheer amount of food and variety they have is unbelievable! There is literally something for everybody, and everything we tried was delicious. The food was fresh, hot, flavorful, and there were so many options that it was honestly hard to decide what to put on the plate first. From the meats and sides to the seafood, desserts, breakfast options, and everything in between, Shady Maple really takes the meaning of a buffet to another level. And the desserts? Absolutely incredible! What impressed me the most was how clean, organized, and well-run everything was despite how many people were there. The staff was friendly, helpful, and constantly working to keep everything stocked and looking great. Since moving to Pennsylvania, I've been trying to experience some of the places that make this area special, and Shady Maple Smorgasbord is definitely one of those places. This isn't just somewhere you go to grab a meal -- it's an entire experience. You come hungry, you leave FULL, and you're already thinking about what you're going to try the next time you come back! My family and I had an amazing time, and I'm genuinely glad we made the trip. If you've never been to Shady Maple, do yourself a favor and GO! Bring your appetite because you're going to need it. Absolutely phenomenal food, incredible selection, great atmosphere, and excellent service. Shady Maple has officially earned a spot on my list of places I NEED to come back to. 10/10 doesn't even feel like enough. This place is TREMENDOUS! read more

I've been yearning for this place for the past 5 years, it's my birthday weekend and I was able to come out and let me tell you. From the service to the food it was top tier! The workers were nice from payment , seating , to handing out food. I haven't been to a buffet since pre covid and this made me feel like a kid again, and the quality of food is amazing because my stomach didn't upset and that's rare. I'll be back for breakfast but yes this is worth my 4 hour drive. Cherry on top is the different cultures there and they had a piano playing which is classy. read more

All I have to say is RUN don't walk to this place. It is unbelievable. The amount of food options there are-- come with an empty stomach. The service is simple, you pay at the front and then you are seated depending on whether you want a booth or table. We arrived right at 4:00PM on a Friday, so we were able to have the full dinner experience with all the stations. It realllyyyyy fills up after 5, so get here right at 4. The set up is a typical buffet set up-- but the amount of food and stations. Words don't do it justice. I would love to come back for breakfast. Can't wait to eat here again!!!! read more

People hate on smorgasbords for all sorts of reasons. Yes its not 5 star Michelin food (its not supposed to be). BUT it has a VARIETY of food and gives you a taste of Lancaster County. If its your birthday you get a free meal when you go with someone purchasing. To be honest, compared to other Lancaster County Buffets, their price is the most reasonable! I actually prefer their breakfast Buffet, but we recently went for dinner. Tons of seating, we went on a Friday Dinner Rush and it only took us about 10 minutes to get seated. Just some of my top picks and highlights: Steaks made to order Milkshake station The dessert bar Icee machine Potato pie Brown Butter noodles Fried chicken Corn casserole And don't forget the PIE! If you are visiting, just do it and get a taste of Lancaster County! Two huge aisles of food with different items going each direction, check both! Every night has a special, seafood night, steak night, etc...pick your favorite! read more

So my husband heard about this place from a coworker so we finally tried it with his family. This place is gigantic. There was so much seating & parking & the building was huge. We got there around breakfast so we got to try a little bit of breakfast before they transitioned to lunch. It wasn't super busy on a Thursday at 10am but as we stayed there, crowds started coming in at around 11:30am. There was a lot of sides and desserts but not many pescatarian or vegetarian options since the cuisine seems to be more meat heavy. As for the food, nothing was amazing but nothing was bad so it was average all around. But the staff was nice and the food was pretty consistent for having so many people each day. read more

See all

My wife and I tried this restaurant while passing through town and it was great. The restaurant is clean, all though it's a buffet personal ate at all stations cleaning continuously so everything is kept clean. They had 8 bars that I counted not including the steak and grill areas. They also have every drink available coffee, cappuccino, milk, juice, soda and so on . This is a top notch buffet. The service was excellent although all they do is keep your empty plates removed. I would definitely recommend trying this restaurant. read more

See all

The largest buffet in the country. I saw this place on YouTube and added it to my bucket list. I was in Allentown, PA and decided to drive an hour to experience this firsthand. Ambience - the place is HUGE. From the outside, it looked to be the size of a Costco warehouse. I'm told that the seating capacity is 2000 people. The decor is oddly similar to Old Country Buffet but 20 times larger. There were about 10 buffet stations and 4 grill stations. We came on a Saturday night and it was about a half hour wait to get seated. Food - it was a really large variety. The ribeye steak was surprisingly good for a buffet. I was partial to the pot roast and fried chicken. The desserts were a hit, especially the apple cobblers. TL/DR: it lives up to the hype in terms of size and variety. As long as you set your expectations accordingly (I.e. this is a buffet, not 5 star steakhouse) you can't go wrong for $30. Should definitely visit and experience it if you are ever in the area. read more

See all

i came to shady maple with my boyfriend on a monday for a late morning lunch. one of our favorite activities is seeing how much food we can hork down, so shady maple was certainly appealing at a glance. the space is massive and most of the food is self service, although the service we did receive was super friendly. they have specials every week or so, so we got to experience the sundae bar. when you come here, you really have to implement a strategy. ours was to try a wide variety of foods in smaller amounts than usual. the highlights for me was the fresh fruit and the yams, and the highlight for him was the brisket (i don't eat red meat). most of their stuff is decent! for the variety you get i would recommend it. don't come in expecting michelin-level food though; it's a buffet. my lowlight was probably the desserts. the pies all had kind of a gluey texture to them. my favorite desserts were probably the soft serve and the "dips". the soft serve definitely made the pies more edible. the shop downstairs is really cute and a good way to facilitate the digestion process. i'll probably be back to try the different meals. read more

See all

I gotta give it a five. It's a well oiled machine from top to bottom. While the food is pretty much all comfort food, the buffet was colorful, well-stocked and clean. My only recommendation is to have someone filling your water cup so that you don't have to get up just to refill it. Bucket list item checked off. read more

Shady Maple Smorgasbord - View from table 36 - Buffets Near Me - East Earl, Pennsylvania

See all

Quite the experience. We came down from Allentown, which was about an hour plus ride and the place was already fairly full at 8am. Nice huge variety of options. Food was average, but we definitely enjoyed ourselves. If in the area again, we would definitely consider returning. read more

We had a wonderful visit at the largest smorgasbord in the country. I watched several YouTube videos to understand how things worked. There is a chance you will wait in a long line just to pay for your meal. Everyone in your party must be present before you can be seated. We arrived early for lunch. I was able to pay for our party before we were seated. While we waited for one of our guests, we visited the gift shop and looked at all the displays in the front area. I signed up for the free shopper card which earns points for every dollar spent. An employee in the gift shop suggested to redeem the dollars earned in the stores. Since we will return, I'm going to keep collecting points. Use the card when you shop and eat. If you arrive between breakfast and dinner, you might get to sample the remaining breakfast items that haven't been swapped out yet. The lunch crowd gets full. There are approximately 2,000 seats in the dining areas. The servers are nice about explaining how things worked. Take want you want. Eat what you take. Use new plates every trip. We wanted to try as many Amish dishes as we could. The corn, stuffing and stewed tomatoes were wonderful. There are so many food stations. Meat and fish are cooked in front of you. The salad bar has many toppings. The vegetables take an entire section. The dessert area has ice cream, pie, cookies and cake. Make sure you check out each area. I was excited about my vanilla shake but then I discovered the pumpkin ice cream. It was delicious. There are multiple drink stations. The condiment areas have lots of items. Try the Amish butter. There are fun photo opps outside. We saw mums and pumpkins for sale. The front lobby has a small flower counter. Visiting early was convenient. We arrived before the lunch crowds. When our full party was together, we bypassed the front line and entered the seating line. Your receipt reserves your table. This was a wonderful experience. I look forward to a return visit. The gift shop is downstairs. read more

See all

This place is humungous.... Very country old fashion buffet experience. The variety of food is literally everything you can imagine from classic Turkey dinner style to pastas fried chicken/fish jerk chicken cheesesteaks pizzas salad bar dessert bar with all types of puddings and pies an ice cream station different grill stations.. make sure you go hungry and it seems to always be busy it's was around 2:30pm on a Friday and there was a line for a table but fast service. I can imagine it gets even busier definitely a good experience. There's a huge gift shop on the lower level. read more

See all

Jean is THE BEST. She was very friendly and even came back to check on us to make sure we were having a great experience. There's nothing more I can say about how delicious the food is here. It's plentiful and very well prepared. They keep it clean and have a good turnover time. The brisket is rich and tender. Don't fret about how long the line looks. It goes quickly. Go JEAN read more

We went to Shady Maple Smorgasbord excited to try something different, and it was definitely an experience. We aren't originally from Pennsylvania, and I came away thinking that some of the food may appeal more to people who grew up with this particular style of Pennsylvania Dutch cooking. One thing I wish I had understood beforehand is that the buffet isn't quite as enormous or varied as it first appears. The dining area and buffet lines are huge, but a good portion of the food is duplicated. There is a long buffet line with stations on both sides, and many of the entrées, desserts and drink options offered on one side are repeated on the other. It actually seems like a practical layout choice so people sitting on either side of the very large dining room don't have to walk all the way across the building for the same foods. However, as a first-time visitor, it gives the impression that there are far more different food choices than there actually are. The salad bar, taco bar and soup area in the center were not duplicated in the same way, and the grill and pizza stations were separate from the main buffet lines. There is still plenty to sample, but don't assume every station or section you see represents an entirely different selection of food. As for the food itself, I really wanted to sample things I hadn't had before. The "pot pie," for example, is the Pennsylvania Dutch version rather than what I know as a traditional pot pie with a crust. It wasn't really for me, but I can see how someone who grew up eating it might feel very differently. Our biggest disappointment was probably the grilled meats. The seasoning seemed unevenly applied, and when we requested rare, the meat we received was burnt on one side and wasn't even medium rare. My husband tried the prime rib, which I don't care for myself, and he found both the flavor and seasoning unusual enough that he didn't finish it. Overall, we found a lot of the food leaned heavily toward either salty or sweet rather than the balance of seasoning we personally prefer. I somewhat enjoyed the fried chicken--the skin was good, but once I got past the skin, the chicken itself was dry rather than juicy. My daughter enjoyed the mashed potatoes, while her spouse thought they tasted like instant potatoes, so even within our own group opinions varied. The two things I genuinely enjoyed were the seafood croquettes and the mushroom soup. Those were the standouts for me. They also provide sugar-free dessert options, which is nice to see, although I didn't personally try them. One thing that concerned us was the pizza station. Each time we went by, there was a significant amount of smoke coming from the oven. It appeared that old pizza or food remnants in the oven were continuing to burn, creating quite a bit of smoke around the area. Hopefully that was simply an issue on the day we visited, but it was noticeable enough that I think it's worth mentioning. I'm still glad we tried Shady Maple because I'm all about trying new things, and this certainly gave us a new experience. I can also understand why someone who grew up with Pennsylvania Dutch food or prefers these flavors might have a completely different opinion than we did. For our family, though, the food simply wasn't a good match for our tastes, and I couldn't see us paying for four dinners there again. The gift shop was a different story. It is extensive and genuinely fun to wander through. We spent quite a while walking around after dinner, which was a nice way to finish our visit--and probably helped us walk off some of what we ate! Overall, I'm glad we went once and experienced it for ourselves. I would just tell another first-time visitor that the enormous size of the buffet area doesn't necessarily mean an enormous number of different dishes, since quite a few selections are repeated for convenience. And if you didn't grow up with Pennsylvania Dutch cooking, go in knowing that some of the flavors and dishes may be quite different from what you're accustomed to. read more

This place was better than I expected and worse than I expected. First, they do a great job at moving people. You enter the line to pay first and then enter another line to get seated. Their system works well in moving as many people as possible and as fast as possible. Quite efficient. If you see a huge line, it's not as bad as it looks. If you have 5 or more people, they put you in a different line to be seated. There's also two different lines to be seated. After paying, if you stand in the left line, it's for a booth only and the section isn't that large. The line to the right is booth and tables and that one moves faster. Second, they gave a level 2 charger in the parking lot that charges 10 cents per KWH for Teslas on a Saturday night. Convenient and we got 15-20 percent from parking to leaving. Okay, now the ups and downs. The variety of food is quite large, but it's not as large as you think if you compare it to Vegas. They do have repetitions from one end to the other end. So although it's a large place and it appears like they have a lot, it's smaller in variety than expected. The quality of food is better than expected. The NY strip was soft and tender. The salmon was well cooked and the sauce was good. The cat fish with Cajun rub was quite delicious and the smoked brisket is so soft and tender and delicious that we both agreed that it was better than ordering it at a BBQ specific chained place. I focused on the items on the grill and they were delicious and the people handling the grill were super nice. For the price, the items on the grill made it worth it. They are heavy foods and I filled up quite quickly. We left satisfied. read more

See all

Honestly, I don't know what this place could do for me to not give it 5 stars. Very large assortment (70+ items) and the food was all quality, nothing was what I could classify as bad. I went for breakfast, and was able to try most items. Most of it was what you would expect, but the freshly cooked pancake griddle gave exceptional pancakes. Would go back for those alone. Price was also very affordable ($15 ish for all you can eat breakfast). Only ding is that breakfast closes at 10am, so if you're a breakfast person make sure to wake up early. read more