Best Restaurants Open for Christmas Dinner this year in State College – 2024

DELICIOUS food!! This is definitely one of my favorite places in the area, and I would recommend Bistrozine to anyone who loves great food!

Nice spot for lunch or dinner. Food is a little eclectic, but could be described as Asian fusion. Pork buns were good, but you need to use the dipping sauce. Crispy duck rolls were amazing! Kimchi fried rice was fine, not much kimchi. Drinks were interesting and delicious

Wow! This place is awesome. The menu is so cool and I can’t decide what to get. Everything was delicious. The reviews are great for a reason!

Awful experience from start to finish! I don't recommend going to this place! We asked the bouncer if there was a happy hour since there was a cover fee, and he said, "yes." I go inside and ask the bartender for a happy hour item, and guess what? He says there's no happy hour today. That was frustrating and misleading. Moving on, we ordered drinks, which took forever to arrive. When they finally did, they were mediocre at best. Then we ordered onion rings, and they were basically burnt. They tasted terrible, like they had been sitting in old oil for too long. The service was incredibly slow, and the staff seemed disinterested in providing a good experience. The overall atmosphere was disappointing as well; it felt more like a poorly managed dive bar than a lively café. Cafe210 really needs to step up their game to stay relevant in the State College area. Better communication, faster service, and higher quality food are essential. Right now, it’s just not worth the time or money.

Terrific spot in State College to have cheesesteaks! We visited Cafe 210 West for the first time and the vibes are definitely college bound atmosphere. The service was fantastic! We ordered the mozzarella sticks for an appetizer - which were excellent. The cheesesteaks were really good too. It did not have a sauce which I had to order a side of marinara to add onto the cheesesteak for an additional fee. The location has two big rooms and is self seating. Overall a good time with good food!

Went for the live music. Pure Cane Sugar and JR & Veronica and the Band were both incredible. That place was on FIRE. Some kind soul opened up a slider door just to get fresh air for the folks dancing up a sweat storm. All the while, the front of house was quiet and chill. The bartenders were attentive and kind. The bathrooms were accessible and clean all night long (2 private women's bathrooms to 1 men's, well done CAFE 210 West). I didn't have any food, but the food I saw looked delicious!

My family and I made a last minute reservation during Arts Fest week and we are so glad that we did! Charles was our server and he was kind and attentive, giving excellent service. I had the delicious gemelli, which had a garlic white wine sauce and shrimp, my mother had the beautiful mushroom risotto (which was stunning) and my husband had Nonna's spaghetti and meatballs. We all loved our meals and would order each again (a marker I always use to indicate how much I enjoy a meal). My mother ordered the tiramisu for dessert, which l'm usually indifferent about but it was delicious. I'm excited to have this Italian gem as part of our State College community!

The Gnocchi Florentine, Lasagna and Mushroom Risotto were all fabulous!!! The roast carrots with whipped ricotta and pistachios was perfectly sweet and savory. The focaccia had the right amount of garlic. I recommend the tiramisu, as it was a fabulous finish; my sister loved her cannoli too. My margarita was also a nice opener for dinner. Jennifer, the real star, was our waitress, she was friendly, conversed with us and interacted with our children in such a refreshing way! You could tell she enjoys what she does and experiencing life through food! We will be back for sure and recommend Mercato Mio to friends!!

This seems to be a hidden gem among dining establishments in State College. I would say it is the closest you can get to home-cooked Italian food of any local restaurants. They have a great selection, it’s all delicious and the service is fantastic. The prices are resonable and portions are generous. Also fun are the “mocktails” for the younger guests to enjoy and feel like a grownup. It’s hard to believe that this is tucked away inside a hotel.

The food was great and our waitress was very nice! She (Alexis I believe) got us our food very quickly, but always made sure we were well taken care of! I was able to get a nice variety of foods for not too expensive, which is always nice for breakfast :) Overall, a really nice breakfast spot!

he Original Waffle Shop North is a beloved staple in State College, known for serving up delicious breakfasts for decades. With a rich history in the area, this spot has become a local institution, offering consistently great food and a warm, welcoming atmosphere. The waffles are, of course, the star of the menu—light, fluffy, and perfectly crisped—but you’ll also find a wide range of classic breakfast options like omelets and pancakes. The portions are generous, and the prices are reasonable. The staff is friendly and efficient, even during the busiest hours. If you want a taste of tradition with a fantastic breakfast, The Original Waffle Shop is a must-visit. Highly recommended!

The only thing you need to worry about is how long the lineup is. Best full breakfast. Super tasty food. It’s a must have visit if you are ok to wait 20-45 min to get in.

Best fish & chips in State College; maybe the best I’ve ever had. Fries are delicious. Burger is delicious. Worth your time & money.

Nice little whiskey bar in State College. Good assortment of whiskeys and beers. Service is mostly students so hit our miss. 1 night was great, the next day was eh.

The burger deal and service was great! Although I find it very upsetting that I paid $17 for some mid “grilled cheese” when starbucks grilled cheese is cheaper and better. Charging me 17 for this was a scam lol.

First time here - usually go to Otto’s. Beers are great. The IPA and the Stumbln Chef Tripel are great beers. Wings are very good and so are the pretzels. The Chicken Parmigiana was a filling and reasonably flavorful. We wanted to get some pizza but we’re full from Beer, Parm, wings, and brick oven baked pretzel.

Honestly really good food. Fancy, and about $20/person with an appetizer. Probably would’ve been less if we didn’t get the crispy deviled eggs but they were just amazing! I mean, look at them could you blame me?! I also got their double patty burger with their “secret sauce”. Attention Mac sauce lovers, it tastes very similar to it!! I was mind blown by how good all the food was. I hope this place is around for a while as this was my first experience with Marzonis and it was above and beyond. Very clean atmosphere, Professional employees, great food, what more can you ask for??

Place was really good, got in quick, ordered our food and was surprised how good it was! The sourdough was really well toasted and buttered very nicely, the Italian sub was for be and the pizza has that nice brick oven taste. Very good!

We had the beef udon, california roll, beef buns and chicken curry don. Everything was good but the beef buns were my personal favorites. Good service and cozy atmosphere as well.

Delicious and packed full of flavor. We had a mix of things off the menu including both bowls, soup based bowls and sushi. All were very good and very flavorful. The sushi took a little longer to come out but very tasty. The portions were huge and the service overall was decent. The music was a bit loud and the restaurant is smaller so it's a bit harder to hear those in your party. The prices were fair considering the size of the portions.

On paper and from photos this restaurant looks good but once you step inside you will see all the things that make it mediocre at best. We arrived at 11:03 and the restaurant was still closed. The waitress lackadaisically walked over to unlock the door two minutes later even though they can see there were people standing outside. Their service is just flat out poor for a so called "Japanese" restaurant. We sat for ten minutes and the table behind us were both trying to flag down a waitress to place our orders. Their wait staff likes to move around and pretend they are busy but never look at the customers. Don't bother coming here if you expect decent service. Now onto the cleanliness of the restaurant. They had just opened but their bathrooms are absolutely filthy. I don't think they've cleaned them since the day before. There were small sauce specs in the soy sauce dipping trays and the cups they leave out for water were sticky. The miso soup bowls were also not clean. Once you look closely you can see all the areas that they cut corners on and are lazy in maintaining standards. The food is actually not bad but fairly overpriced for the portion size and where they are located. I guess when there is no competition in the area it is fine to slip into mediocrity and rest on their past laurels. THIS PLACE IS DIRTY.

We had burgers since we ordered at 3:30pm, there are more dishes available after 4pm. The food and service were excellent. Not impressed by the two beers we tried, not bad, but not great either. The ambience inside is incredible, love the piano bar setup, as well as the sunny rooms. Also, we had no trouble finding a nearby parking spot. We would go back for sure, so we also strongly recommend for a visit. The food and the atmosphere are hard to match!

I was very uninspired walking to the restaurant; the sign was hidden and doesn’t actually lead you to the door. I walked up to the bar and found a seat. From there I was blown away. The bartenders were very responsive and helpful. Then there is the gumbo; I never had better. It was amazing. I can’t walk to go back.

Kind waitress, fast service and good food. They were playing christmas songs and the atmosphere was cozy and nice. They also had a band playing music too. The place is huge and you have the option to sit in the lounge or dining area. Will visit again!

What a gem of a place!!! Love the atmosphere and the food. The lady at the counter was patient and friendly and helped me selecting my food. It was my first time having Venezuelan food and enjoyed it. Will be back again.

Stopped in for lunch on Saturday between We Are weekend events. Have always wanted to try but hours are a bit inconvenient for us. The arepas are delicious. They’re way bigger than we’ve had at other restaurants before. Wife and I split two Pabellon arepas, one pork and one chicken (they didn’t have the beef today). The combo of the stewed meat, queso fresco, and black beans was fantastic, and I loved finding the sweet plantain chunks in it. Like I said, HUGE. They also came out piping hot and almost impossible to try to pick up as a sandwich. Probably why there’s a knife and fork provided with each. One daughter inhaled the Catira arepa, which is their chicken and cheddar cheese. Other daughter similarly inhaled the Cachapa with chicken, which is kinda like a chicken and cheese quesadilla. They thoroughly enjoyed them! Definitely recommend. It is a small place, only a couple tables. We were the only customers while we were there, but it’s also the offseason. I presume they do a strong takeout business.

It's one of the few places that I enjoy. If you follow my reviews, I've been negatively critical of many restaurants in town. This is an exception. Great food! Friendly staff! Awesome atmosphere! I had an Arepa and Chicha Criolla. Delicious ! Would love to dine back in!

Delicious! I have a soy allergy, but LOVE Asian food and they actually had a menu with soy free options! I was blown away by that. Really good food. Had enough for leftovers later on. Server was very nice and the service was fast. The music was enjoyable. I recommend.

As a Korean International, I can confidently say that the Korean food here is the most authentic you will find in State College. I just moved to NYC for my job, and I really do miss the food here at Kimchi. Highly recommend the tofu soups and marinated short ribs! On top of all this, the service here is also amazing unlike most dine-in restaurants I’ve been to in the area. Thank you Kimchi for the amazing food and service provided to me during my time here in State College, and I look forward to coming back!

I've never been to a Korean restaurant, I loved my first time. I loved the decor, real plants. We ordered a pot of green tea which was delicious and loved the little cups. I wish we could have added tofu to our dishes but it seemed they couldn't due to the way they put the order in. I'd love to go back and order something different to try. Very friendly and welcoming place.