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Dockside Willies

3.2 (386 reviews)
ModerateSeafood, Bars, American
Closed • 11:00 am - 11:00 pm
Updated 2 months ago

DOCKSIDE WILLIES · YELP ASSISTANT

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DOCKSIDE WILLIES ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Casual
Dogs allowed
Good for groups

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River Rocks Small mini strombolis filled with an array of italian meats
Nevin P.

Dockside Willies is a staple of Harrisburg. We always love going here. The vibrant signage out front just calls you in! Who doesn't love the neon green outside! We love the food here! Whether you are getting a loaded baked potato, burger, stack, or river rocks they are always delicious and huge portions. We sat at the bar (place has tons of seating, but can become severely overcrowded). The bar tenders didn't crack a smile once and the male just seemed unamused to be there. The greeters were fantastic and all smiles. Maybe they were having a bad day. Either way Dockside Willies is a great place to accommodate a large group. P.S. the menu is enormous...

Peanut butter pie - DON'T SLEEP ON THIS ONE!
Alexis G.

I've been to Dockside Willie's a handful of times over the years, but after my most recent visit, it's officially time to give them their Yelp moment -- because something truly unexpected (and incredible) happened. An adventure buddy and I decided to stop in on a gray, cold, rainy Thursday night as a little "you can survive one more workday" pep talk dinner. Dockside's parking lot is...let's call it ambitious in size (read: tiny and always full), so we parked across the street in the much larger lot and played a thrilling round of "cross the road during rush hour and hope for the best." Character building. We arrived around 5:30pm and found it busy but manageable. We were seated quickly at a booth near the bar, and our server was fantastic -- super friendly, attentive, and on top of drink refills the entire time. No complaints there at all. Instead of going the full entrée route, we decided to split a few things to maximize the experience. We ordered boneless wings in River Sauce ($12.95), 10 River Rocks ($14.50), a crab quesadilla ($16.95), two Diet Pepsis ($7.00 total), and a slice of peanut butter pie ($6.95) for dessert. Grand total: $61.86 before tip -- which honestly caught me a little off guard. For what felt like more of a "snack-style dinner" with no alcohol, it added up quickly. Just something to keep in mind going in. As for the food, everything was...good. The boneless wings were big, saucy, and satisfying. The River Rocks were tasty, though they felt a bit smaller (and pricier) than I remember. The crab quesadilla was massive, but leaned heavily on cheese, onions, and peppers, with the crab playing more of a supporting role than the star of the show -- a little disappointing at that price point. Overall, solid, but nothing that really stood out as a must-have. And then...dessert happened. We ordered the peanut butter pie -- described as "super rich peanut butter filling on an Oreo cookie crust with Hershey's chocolate syrup and Reese's crushed peanut butter cups." And let me just say...this pie absolutely stole the entire show. The filling? Unreal. Dense in the best possible way -- like, block-of-cream-cheese-thick dense. Packed with peanut butter flavor, not overly sweet, and a generous portion that made every bite feel like a commitment (in a good way). This is the kind of dessert that makes you stop mid-conversation and go, "Wait...hold on...this is REALLY good." For $6.95, it was easily the best value of the night -- and honestly one of the better peanut butter pies I've had in a while (and I do not take peanut butter pie lightly). Next time? I might flip the script -- grab a lighter (and slightly less expensive) dinner somewhere else and head to Dockside Willie's specifically for that peanut butter pie. Because while dinner was good...that dessert was the real main character.

Dinner on our first night back in PA, work trip for the win
Kyle B.

Always my go to when I'm staying in Harrisburg PA. I get the fish and chips with garlic parm sauce and the Reese's homemade pie to top off the night. Service is hit and miss but the river side seating, view, breeze and ambiance is totally worth it. All three restaurants are practically the same but I definitely recommend my go to meal

River Rocks
Haylee H.

Love this placeeee! It usually pretty busy but service is always great and the food usually comes out super fast! The menu is ginormous but everything we've tried has been great

Part of the Kitchen Area
John G.

Love the comfortable River setting on the Susquehanna! My wife ordered the Orange Chicken Star with Saureed Vegetables with Mixed Vegetables, she said the Chicken & Vegetables were perfectly cooked. I went with the BLACKENED MAHI TACO Fresh mahl blackened to perfection atop a bed of our kickin' honey slaw then topped with our fresh mango salsa and lime sour cream. Served with a side of rice. I ordered a cup of Chili as an appetizer. Made with prime rib, black angus, and special beans and spices. Topped with Cheddar and Red onions. Personally I would have liked more spice kind of Bland nothing special. Overall the meals were hot and tasty except for the Chili's blandness but the spice in the taco made up for it. Probably should be a 4.5 Devon was our server, She was very friendly and hospitable and very efficient.

Jon S.

Our family travels to and from Selinsgrove, PA and Ashburn, VA. We stop at Dockside Willies every chance we can. They have a large menu and everything we have tried has been very good. The food is always consistently good, nothing outstanding, but always good.

Mango Bango mocktail - a mango frozen drink. Delicious!
Christine M.

First, this is my 10yo grandson's favorite restaurant. He loves the kids Fish & Chips (even though they are regular fries). We joke that he can get a (root) beer or an (ginger) ale. Today he wanted something stronger (he had a rough soccer game) so he chose the Mango Bango mocktail & loved it. The server was wonderful and made him a Shirley Temple to cheer him up. I had a salad stacker. It was delicious, very fresh. I did notice that they use frozen avocado slices, probably because they don't have many dishes with avocado. But best of all was enjoying the deck with the beautiful roof that provided shade from the afternoon sun and then the rain. The patio furniture was very comfortable. I would say this is the best deck seating in the area. Our server was attentive and sweet. It was a wonderful lunch date for my grandson and me.

Watermelon margarita
Jewel B.

The food was amazing and the portion sizes are BIG! The service was amazing Camilla was a great server! We were able to sit on the deck as it was nice day!

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5 years ago

First time here. Came as a recommendation from my BIL. Excellent food, our waiter was great. A must do while in Harrisburg, PA.

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4 years ago

Better if thr ribs were not too dry. The flavor was good though. The meatloaf and house special was quite good.

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6 years ago

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12 years ago

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6 years ago

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4 years ago

It was decent. The food there is good, but not fantastic. Service could be faster, but it's usually pretty busy. The drinks are expensive.

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4 years ago

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8 years ago

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4 years ago

One of the better restaurants in the area. High food quality, good service, and on the river for a good view.

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5 years ago

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4 years ago

One of my favorite places to go! Great food and atmosphere! Highly recommended especially during the summer with outdoor seating

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6 years ago

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5 years ago

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6 years ago

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6 years ago

Rude managers. You're supposed to be greeted when you walk into a restaurant, not denied. I'll go elsewhere happily. Lost my business.

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6 years ago

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9 years ago

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5 years ago

Food was good but be careful with takeout. My order was short one drink that I paid for, and missing the dressing for a salad.

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5 years ago

Great vibes, great menu, so far everything I tried was delicious. Definitely recommend the river rocks!!!!

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5 years ago

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Fratelli's Towne Tavern - Grandmas

Fratelli's Towne Tavern

3.8(72 reviews)
2.2 mi
•$$

The salad looked good. The Chicken Francaise was spectacular. Lauren did great job on service…read more Everything was outstanding

Fratelli's proudly claims to be the "Home of the Bar Pie," and after one bite of their 14" NY-style…read morewith mushrooms and pepperoni, I believe them. This little hole-in-the-wall sits on the backside of a rivertown, serving up old-school vibes and seriously good pizza. The dough and sauce are made in-house, and you can taste it -- crust was crisp yet airy, with a buttery richness and just enough chew to make each bite satisfying. Sauce had a bit of spice, cheese was bubbly, browned, and full of real-deal flavor (no sad, fake cheese here). Toppings? Plentiful and delicious. We came dangerously close to finishing the whole pie, stopping only two slices short. For drinks, my adventure buddy went classy with an Old Fashioned (good, but nothing to write home about -- and the bar's lack of Luxardo cherries made him sad), while I kept it real with a draft Miller Lite. The beer was cold and clean -- and honestly, from a hole-in-the-wall bar, that's something I appreciate. Bartender doubled as our waitress and handled it like a pro, even on a slow Monday night. The place is dark and cozy, decorated with lots of '50s-inspired artwork, and apparently has a rooftop bar -- sadly closed during our summer date night. The bill came to $42 for the pizza, two drinks, and a tip -- budget-friendly date night win. No on-site parking, but plenty of free curb spots out front or municipal lots a block away. Safe area for an after-dark stroll. If you're into unpretentious spots serving pizza that punches above its weight, Fratelli's is your jam.

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Fratelli's Towne Tavern
Fratelli's Towne Tavern - Possibly rigatoni bolognese

Possibly rigatoni bolognese

Fratelli's Towne Tavern

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New Beginnings Family Diner - Breakfast Monte Cristo, served with a side of syrup, gotta try it

New Beginnings Family Diner

3.1(31 reviews)
0.6 mi

Wasn't sure about this place since it didn't have good ratings but tried it despite. Though it's a…read morevery old diner it smelled clean and the service was slow since there was only one person taking orders and running drinks and serving etc. The owner came out to take our orders. I took her suggestion for my breakfast sandwich and was very pleased with the breakfast. She seasoned everything just right! The menu layout is not uniformly appealing font wise. It seemed to be all over the place and no desserts were listed. I didn't ask neither since I was in a rush to get on my day. The location was easy to find and plenty of parking spots in the lot.

First impressions it's a diner! So we came in sign says seat yourself! Quite a few un cleaned…read moreTables we picked a clean one out sat down saw others coming in grabbing menus we were passed by a few workers never greeted we sat for about 15 minutes I got up to get menus when I got back the wife informed me a person finally asked if we wanted drinks! We looked at the menus I brought they were lunch- dinner we were looking for breakfast and asked a worker for one! sat for another 10 minutes or so looking at menus kept noticing none of the other tables were getting any food or actually waited on. We decided to leave! Not a very good first impression! It's a diner??? What could improve? Start with customer services!

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New Beginnings Family Diner - Bacon and cheese omelet, you can't go wrong with bacon

Bacon and cheese omelet, you can't go wrong with bacon

New Beginnings Family Diner - Fresh fruit cup, not always available due to the fact that when we say fresh we mean it, please ask your server

Fresh fruit cup, not always available due to the fact that when we say fresh we mean it, please ask your server

New Beginnings Family Diner - Cheese omelet, made with American cheese, provolone, Swiss, mozzarella or cheddar, let us know what you like and we make it happen

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Cheese omelet, made with American cheese, provolone, Swiss, mozzarella or cheddar, let us know what you like and we make it happen

First Watch

First Watch

3.9(196 reviews)
1.4 mi
•$$
Casual dining
Gluten-free friendly

First Watch's seasonal Pumpkin Pancake Breakfast delivers a well-balanced mix of sweet autumn spice…read moreand hearty savory elements, making it an easy favorite for fall. The star of the plate is the giant pumpkin pancake, which spans nearly half the dish. It features a golden-brown finish, light texture, and just the right amount of cinnamon and nutmeg warmth to complement the subtle pumpkin sweetness without feeling like dessert. A scoop of whipped butter right in the center melts smoothly into the warm cake, keeping every bite tender.  On the savory side, the Jones Dairy Farm chicken apple sausage patties bring a great contrast to the sweet spice of the pancake. They are cooked with a hard sear that creates nice crispy, caramelized edges. The subtle hint of apple in the sausage works surprisingly well with maple syrup and spices, offering a lean, savory bite.  The cage-free eggs round out the meal simple and soft-scrambled, cooked with clean, fluffy curds. They serve as a reliable, neutral protein anchor that keeps the plate grounded. Overall, it is a deeply satisfying and well-portioned seasonal breakfast that executes classic fall flavors without overwhelming you with sugar.

Neighborhood Power Outages staff shortages limiting seating! It didn't stop this team from…read moreperforming! Grace our server was very patient and professional. The food came out hot and Flavorful. I had the FARMHOUSE HASH Two cage-free eggs any style atop fresh, seasoned potatoes, bacon, avocado, house-roasted onions and tomatoes, Cheddar and Monterey Jack. Served with our whole-grain artisan toast. This is a large portion couldn't finish. My wife had a MULTIGRAIN PANCAKE We've gotta warn you: these beauties are beyond big - they are humongous! Choose your stackage accordingly from: Plain, Blueberry, Chocolate Chip, Banana Granola Almond Crunch, Carrot Cake & Pecan. She chose the plain this time wit a side of extra crispy bacon

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First Watch - Bright aeating

Bright aeating

First Watch
First Watch

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Men In The Kitchen - Crabballs, jerk chicken quesadilla, Brussels sprouts with sausage, crab fries and chicken with collard green eggrolls

Men In The Kitchen

4.1(25 reviews)
0.9 mi

I stopped in for brunch this weekend with a friend after seeing their new menu and brunch specials…read moreon social media, and I'm so glad we did! We ordered the oxtails and grits along with a pitcher of pineapple mimosas. The grits were honestly some of the creamiest I've ever had! The oxtails were tender, very meaty, seasoned perfectly, and came with a delicious gravy. Everything was flavorful without being overly seasoned. And yes -- the mimosas were STRONG! I also ordered the strawberry stuffed French toast and bacon to take home, and it did not disappoint. The French toast was really good and, thankfully, not overly sweet. The service was another highlight. The staff was friendly, attentive, and made sure we were taken care of without being overbearing. I also really appreciated the atmosphere. The music was playing, but at a comfortable volume where you could actually enjoy it and have a conversation -- not the "why did I come here?" level of loud that some brunch spots have. The location is also a plus. It's far enough away from the busiest part of 2nd Street that parking wasn't a hassle, and they have their own parking lot, which is a definite bonus in downtown/midtown Harrisburg. Overall, this was a really enjoyable brunch experience. **Good food, strong drinks, great service, and a comfortable atmosphere.** I'll definitely be back to try more from the new menu!

Honestly it's a bummer that I can't say this was a 10/10 experience. I will preface this review…read morewith saying I think this establishment has so much potential. The food is good! The creativity is there! The building has a wonderful layout and beautiful bones. However, the prices, & service are just not where I think they need to be in my opinion. I think this is an example of an establishment that wants to be looked at as more of a fine dining experience but has items like 4 whole wings and fries on the menu and then priced at $25.00 dollars... and the waitress may or may not remember you placed a appetizer order. With that being said I would still recommend if in the area and you're craving soul food. We unfortunately don't have many restaurants that service this kind of food so I still think it's very important to support and I personally look forward to watching this place continue to grow.

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Men In The Kitchen
Men In The Kitchen - Royal Punch and Chicken and Collard Greens egg rolls

Royal Punch and Chicken and Collard Greens egg rolls

Men In The Kitchen

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Dockside Willies - seafood - Updated November 2026

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