First time trying Esther's Restaurant and was very disappointed. I will start with what went good. The atmosphere was what I expected. Reminded me of old fashioned dinner. The waitress did a great job kept our drinks full and checked in on us at appropriate times. My wife had the California cheeseburger with fries. She said everything was good and prepared the way she wanted. Now for my meal. I ordered the black diamond steak with baked sweet potato and coleslaw. The coleslaw was the only thing that was good. The steak was a very small portion and extremely chewy. The baked sweet potato was cold I couldn't even get the butter to melt on it. The potato was only a small piece of a potato. I would guess about 1/3 of the whole potato. I have never ordered a baked sweet potato and only received a portion of the potato. I have always got a whole sweet potato. I will probably give Esther's one more try because my wife's food was very good. read more

We have been here a couple of times and have had great food and service both times. The menu offers many choices including breakfast sandwiches after breakfast is over. Would recommend this place if you are hungry and near there. read more

First opened in 1957 this is a true restaurant that serves quality food always. Served hot and the waitresses have numerous years sometimes a whole lifetime serving paying customers. They have a large parking area, including space for buses approximately 60 cars can park in their parking lot, including up to five tractor trailers. There is an off to the side semi closed meeting room that will seat 35. They make their own cakes and pies, including the famous shoofly pie, which is always on hand, different fruit pies and custard, including their baked oatmeal are changed out weekly. I have actually been at the restaurant when there is no seating left and that's amazing because there are total approximately 100 seats available in the restaurant and when they're all full, you can actually have a foyer this large enough to handle approximately another 20 people with bench seats for waiting in line to have breakfast or lunch or dinner. There is even a small bar area where the stools are right up to the counter and you interact directly with the waiters and waitresses. The kitchen staff are exceptional, and provide you with some of the best made food you'll ever taste. read more

This is just the sort of down Home been here forever know all my customers country kind of restaurant you can love. Went here with my parents for out of the ordinary french fries dipped in gravy and then rice pudding for dessert. Nothing fancy, but it is exactly what you expect. Great service. Great food. No nonsense Restaurant where everybody knows everybody. read more

Reasonable priced old school diner. I had 3 eggs hash browns toast and coffee was like $10 good deal and tasted just fine!

After visiting a few times in my childhood and a few times more recently, I think 3-stars is fair (and probably a little generous) for Esther's. When you step inside, you'll immediately be transported back to the late 80s/early 90s: the place looks old (because it is). I can't imagine it's seen a renovation or upgrade in the last 15 years. The service is usually quick, but it's hit or miss on friendliness and attentiveness from the staff. During today's visit, folks who were seat after my table were served before we were, but our waitress was nice enough. During a breakfast visit a few weeks back, the waitress seemed annoyed to have to serve my party. Everyone can have bad days... but it doesn't leave a great impression to feel like an imposition as a customer. My experience with the food, overall, has been unimpressive. As a kid, I remember the food being tasty and home-style. As an adult, the options are mediocre, the flavor is mid to subpar, and the prices exceed the quality you get. While my California cheeseburger (a frozen patty and slice of white American on a limp bun with a few leafs of lettuce, one slice of dried out green pepper, a few rings on white onion, and two thin slices of pale tomatoes) with fries was fine, one member of my party ordered a steak sandwich and basically got a sloppy joe that he wasn't impressed with. Another member ordered a cordon bleu wrap; she said it was disappointing. (Despite being grilled/pressed, it was so wet.) A few weeks back, I had breakfast here--eggs, potatoes, toast--and it was fine, but essentially nothing better than what one could make at home. Overall, if someone invited me here, I'd go with them. But I wouldn't choose to return to Esther's on my own simply because the food quality is below what I want from a restaurant experience read more

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Best clam chowder on Fridays. Friendly waitresses. Clean atmosphere. Excellent coconut cream custard.

This used to be a really great place, but it's a shadow of what it used to be. The food is okay, but not great. The place feels run down and it needs to be cleaned. We asked for lemon...we given a package of lemon powder. I miss the old days... read more

Acceptable diner food. The service is fine. The interior could use a refresh. Quick food. I recommend sticking with the breakfast.

Loved this place! Great coffee and nice waitresses. Really cheap egg dishes. Loved my omelette and the sausage links weren't salty thanks goodness. Crispy bacon and potato patty like at McDonald's! Will be back... read more

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Came here for a light snack and thought the food was tasty and service was friendly. It's a simple restaurant -- good for a bite when on the road. read more

It's been a little while since I've been there as I live out of state but it used to be one of my favorite go to places when passing through. I'm not sure if it's changed owners or what but the quality of the food has gone down considerably and the prices have gone up significantly. Also being this near a holiday I was expecting the usual crowds but it was over half empty. I had the "meatloaf" and I use that term loosely and I do not recommend it at all, very flat with no flavor and gristle in it. The food came quickly and we had great service by Tara which is my only reason for the 2 stars. I'm thinking it will be awhile again till I give it another try... read more

My husband grew up here and frequented this diner. He brought me here and I ordered a Rueben sandwich. When the waitress brought it over , she asked me to take a bite and I did. She asked if it was Ok and it was.... Until I got to the middle. It was so hard I couldn't bite into it. When I looked I saw a circle where a bone had been. When I told her she snapped ' well I asked you if it was ok!' Oh, and no apologies at all! She knew it was bad cause she had asked me to bite it right away. Never again! read more

Ambiance is like something out of my childhood growing up with my grandparents going out to eat or straight out of an early eighties movie. Ordered a cheese steak, but ended up with something that didn't look like a cheese steak (I'm not from P.A., so maybe it's a different version of one, I don't know) our waitress was a bit short on patience, maybe just having a bad day, so I just ate it without complaining. Food was okay, got the cheese curds which were hot and gooey, fries were crispy, sandwich was like a something from a middle school cafeteria (they should call it "the hot mess", because it was hot, but had no flavor and unrecognizable of what was on it, it sat in my stomach like a ninety pound bag of quikrete) if you are on the freeway and need a quick stop to eat, it's an okay place to stretch your legs and unload your unmentionables. There is a gas station next door as well. I'm guessing they have been around a while but wishing them the best moving forward. read more

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I ordered veal Parmigiana with italian garlic bread and cole slaw. I was told how WONDERFUL their food was with my son in law. The "veal Parmigiana was a breaded veal patty with a sprinkling of Mozzarella cheese and a covering of bad sauce. The cole slaw was flavorless and I only ate it for the roughage. I would assume that when Esther was alive it was a great place to eat, but it is not now. STAY AWAY!!! read more

Great place with old fashion family feel. Breakfast was great. Waitress was very friendly and quick. Parking lot was large-great for motorhomes. read more

I personally did not like it. I got eggs and ham for breakfast. The ham was the best part! I also had 1 biscuit and gravy it wasn't good either read more

First i would like to say my husband and I spent $ 50 for 2 people last Saturday. An employee opened the door and greeted us. The time was 6:45. We sat at a booth. Nice waitress-- her name started with M. We ordered soup, 2 dinners, 2 beverages and 2 desserts. No one told us when we arrived the restaurant closes at 7:00. Five other people stayed past 7:00. When they left at around 7:15, they started asking us to pay, started complaining loud enough for us to hear we were taking too long. Are we really going to enjoy a three course meal in thirty minutes? As we were paying, my husband asks for a receipt. He is handed a scrap of paper with the amount on it. No name of the restaurant, no itemized amounts. Asks the the name of the restaurant. Cashier replied loudly "YOU ARE VERY RUDE.". Husband replied I spent $50, and you are rude. Rushing me out like I am a non paying customer So much for hospitality. Don't waste your time or money. Very poor customer service. read more

I'll make this brief because I'll probably never be in a postion to try this place again (not that I would) Pros: The waitstaff was friendly and they do a really good job catering to the needs of families/institutions who have special needs. Cons: The biggest con was the food, which was so far below the standard of what one expects from a diner to be laughable. As an example I order the chicken pot pie and not only was it not seasoned at all, but it wasn't a pot pie. What I recieved was Chicken and dumplings (although it was more boiled potatoes and dumplings). After I pointed out to the waitress that I recieved the wrong order she informed me that their "chicken pot pie" was indeed not served with a crust. I would also add that the place is a bit dirty and dated, though if the food was even edible that could have been overlooked. read more

The diner has a few "old age spots" and you can tell it's been around for years if not decades. If you can get by the cosmetics the chicken fingers dinners were great. I believe the chicken comes from the chicken growers a half-mile down the road. Very flavorful and crisp. We added beets, small side salad and one piece of coconut pie. Very pleased with the service and food. read more

We stopped by Esther's Restaurant just off of I-78 for breakfast while traveling. Esther's is exactly what you would imagine a diner in a rural area to be ... friendly staff, good service, and hearty, filling food. Their breakfast special with eggs, bacon, sausage, choice of toast and jelly, and either pancakes or French toast was a great choice. Coffee was flavorful, with frequent refills. Regulars eating nearby brought local color to the experience. This is a great place to get a filling, tasty breakfast! read more

Crowded at 7:15 am for a roadside diner. Quick service from a friendly counter woman. Brought me coffee while I waited for my to go egg sandwich. The egg sandwich was really high quality. Fresh cracked eggs of course, on a "kaiser roll" which came seedless. More like a croissant. Definitely a big change from what we call a kaiser roll in NY. Bacon perfectly crisp and not greasy. I asked for SPK on, and they gave me ketchup packets instead. I was eating while driving (I know I know) so I didnt get any ketchup unfortunately. Other than that I couldnt ask for more out of a roadside spot and a $5 bill. Of course, I left $10 read more

Esther's Restaurant - Local ads on mugs, on the detour of i78... getting egg sandwich to go at 7am - American Near Me - Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania

I expected diner food, but this was no diner. Breakfast wasn't being served at 12 noon on a Sunday and that really should have given me my first clue that this wasn't going to be what I expected. I think if you order really simple things like BLTs, grilled cheese sandwiches, or chicken fingers that you will be content. The soups suck and I'm sure they came out of a can. The more dinner/entree meals look like hospital food and I'm sure taste that way as well. There is a Subway a bit further down Rt. 22, and you'd be better off eating there for lunch. I'm sure the clientele wouldn't be so depressing. read more

Close to Hershey park, on our way home... Anne was great. Food was good & service was quick. Meatloaf was great and so was the wife's grilled cheese with bacon & tomatoes. Go for the coffee too :) read more

Had the two cheesey pork chops no real vegetables for sides had two cheesy salads for side payed over 30$ for two meals very dissatisfied I'm not doing this again---------------////////---//////---------------- read more

Absolutely disgusting. Dirty, the food sucks and the wait staff need to take a bath once in a while. Keep driving and stop at a Burger King !!! This is basically a truck stop and only the old and blind stop here! read more

Esther's Restaurant - American Near Me - Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania

Friendly staff & some pretty good country-style cooking. Also a nice selection of homemade desserts. They have truck parking, enough for say, 5 trucks on either side of the building. read more

My dad has been going to this restaurant since he was 13 years old on his way to Pittsburgh and we have continued this tradition ever since. Esther's is not fancy but it has a lot of character. Nothing has changed since my dad started going there in the 70s and it's like traveling back in time. The waitresses are all super nice and friendly and the service is tremendous. It's very family friendly. Like most diner-type restaurants with extensive menus, you have to be somewhat selective about what you order. The corn rubble soup is absolutely fantastic and I've always enjoyed their mashed potatoes and gravy, in spite of what other reviews have said. It's best to stick with the simple food, like sandwiches, or the traditional Dutch Pennsylvania food. It's a nice little establishment with nice people and food that will help you get where you're trying to go. read more

Being the only place to stop in the area, we pulled in with the hopes of getting some good home cooking. I ordered the special of the day, a hot turkey sandwich. The sandwich arrived... 2 pieces of toasted white bread with carved turkey inside and hot turkey gravy on top. No greens, no fillings... nothing that would give it any semblance of a sandwich. The server didn't seem interested and the place was quite dark inside. Maybe I caught them on a bad day, or ordered the wrong thing, but I left the place hungry and disappointed. read more

After traveling all night from Charleston,SC to CT we made a brief pit stop for some coffee and a light breakfast. Esthers did not disappoint. Their small menu provided simple, yet tasty options and the staff were both attentive and friendly. This place was packed with locals by 6:30 am and we truly loved hearing all the local gossip. Was definitely a place to return to if we are ever in the area again. Thanks for the great experience! read more

Stopped in for a late breakfast while traveling. Great place for breakfast. Fast, friendly service by waitresses that know everyone that walks in. I had biscuits and gravy, served fast and hot, chunks of sausage in the gravy, very good. My husband had scrambled eggs, sausage, biscuits and gravy. All hot and good. Love stopping at a place like this. Will come back. read more

There are a number of ways to summarize a visit to Esther's Restaurant but none more telling than a description of our waitress, a microcosm of the entire experience. To protect the weak and innocent, I will call her Flo. She was friendly and attentive and pretended to give a shit just enough that the banter wasn't unbearably awkward. Despite Flo's semi-nauseating plastic charms and the delightful nonchalance of her beehive hairdo, there were clear signs of a sick desperation in her eyes and the flab from her drooping lunchlady arms slapped me in back of my head with each refill she poured. You see, Esther's Restaurant is similar in every way. From the moment you walk in you are greeted by friendly smiles that at first appear welcoming if not downright charming. But make no mistake, the smiles exist only to mask piercing existential pain and conjure up images of how broken spirits sold into sex slavery would look towards each new customer that walks through the door as if silently begging to have their hellish lives snuffed out in a final act of mercy. There is no word more apt to describe my chicken wrap than "meh" and the experience was mutual among those at the table. A side of fruit appeared as what might have once been a fruitcake incinerated by 30 minutes in the microwave only to have the fire put out by a thorough drenching in pineapple juice and expired body oils. Despite the overwhelming mediocrity of the vast and often handwritten menu, the nagging sensation that something was terribly wrong with the food was only interrupted by a gelatinous lobe of underarm flab pummeling my temple as Flo poured a new cup of sour coffee reminding me that there indeed are things worse than death. The prices were fair but failed to disguise the weirdness of the management by charging $3.70 or $4.05 for crab cakes and various fried abominations. Future digestive complications were ensured by the septic tank sewage removal advertisement inserted between the deep-fried seafood and the children's sections of the menu. In conclusion, if you are starving and there is no place left on earth except this diner, you have my permission to eat here otherwise eat leaves and tree bark outside this forlorn roadside vortex of limp pickles and love handles. read more

We stopped at this place for lunch on a recent drive out to Indy. It was a cold, damp and rainy day so good old fashioned comfort food sounded like just the thing. First of all, the place is, in my view, basically a diner and has to be judge as such. After browsing the menu I settled on that days special which was a bowl of soup and a burger and the wife lit up at the prospect of Chicken Pot Pie. The soup, a vegetable noodle, was fine and I eat it all fairly quickly. The burger was so-so. Your average frozen pattie cooked to well done served up on a bun. As I wasn't expecting much more than that I was not surprised. The Chicken Pot Pie was a surprise though. So much so in fact that my initial reaction was "What the hell is that? I thought you order Chicken Pot Pie??" Me, I've always considered a Chicken Pot Pie to consist of chicken, potatoes and veggies in some manner of chicken gravy covered by some manner of pastry. I will grant you that there are some variations to recipes but they pretty much all follow that general guideline. What was presented to my wife was chicken and dumplings, pure and simple and bad chicken and dumplings at that. Well, the dumplings weren't bad but the chicken was an unseasoned, overcooked, nearly tasteless grilled breast. My primary issue with the place is not that the food is mediocre. You pays your money and tales your chances in places like that. I do object however to their insistence that a bowl of chicken/dumplings somehow constitutes a Chicken Pot Pie. Other than the above, we were seated promptly, the staff was pleasant, and the service OK. However, given this experience I think I'll seek alternatives when in the area again. read more

I visited Esther's on day 1 of a cross country trip. Rather than starting off our trip with fast food, we opted for a "home cooked" style meal. We saw the sign on the highway, and decided to give Esther's a try. At 2pm on a Saturday, the entire place was packed. Based on the looks I received from many of the restaurant patrons (and the conversations I overheard), I would guess that this is a local hangout, and that there are likely not a lot of tourists who stop in. I could be wrong though. Our waitress was extremely friendly, efficient, and helpful. Following her advice, I ordered the chicken croquettes and a side of mac and cheese. Very good! Of course, I tend to like anything fried (or cheesy), so I guess I am not too tough of a critic. My fiance ordered a BLT, which he finished off pretty quickly, so I am assuming that he liked it. If you are looking for simple and quick food, not too far from the highway, this would be a safe bet. read more

Well, I guess no one bothered to review this place. I see how it is. Do I have to do EVERYTHING around here? My visit to Esther's was definitely not premeditated. We were driving east on I-78, and my friend saw the sign on the freeway. Esther's was about a mile off the beaten path, and we definitely didn't expect it to be that busy. Judging by the cars in the parking lot, Esther's was a favorite hangout of every cowboy, every cop and every retired couple within the 20-mile radius. We waited for a table for about 5 minutes. I am not sure why, but they made us wait in the small lobby, separated from the main room by a glass door. I was almost tempted to play the claw machine, but I remembered my "no gambling" vow and resisted the urge. Much to our disappointment, Esther's stopped serving breakfast at 11 am on Sundays. It was 11:10 am, and rules are rules. We had to order lunch. Of course, I had already had a delicious Dunkin' Donut for breakfast, so lunch was in order anyway. My friend said that it was traditional Central PA fare, although I had nothing to compare it to. Sadly, she said it after I had already ordered, so I didn't get a chance to try the chicken croquettes or anything else exciting. I tried the corn fritters, which looked and tasted like McNuggets with corn. Meh. I ordered a turkey sandwich with mashed potatoes and gravy. The menu said that if I wanted my bread toasted, it would cost me 15 cents extra. I tried asking "What bread does it come with?" twice, but I didn't get very far. I did opt for a side of cranberry sauce for $0.60. The sandwich itself came on a giant plate drenched in gravy. Both the mashed potatoes and the sandwich were drowning in at least a 1/2 cup of gravy. The sandwich itself was an open-faced creation on two slices of Wonder bread with dark and white turkey meat in the middle. That's it. No condiments, no lettuce, no cheese. Gravy, gravy everywhere and not a sip to drink. All this for $6.95. My friends had different egg sandwiches, which were about $3 apiece and looked pretty small. It's fried egg on toasted wheat bread; how big can it be, right? The food here was simple and filling. The place looked clean and the waitresses were nice and efficient. It made me feel as though I was dining at my Grandma Esther's house (if I actually had a grandma Esther). As far as roadside diners go, Esther's is a safe choice. I wouldn't book it for your next gourmand meeting or for your club social, however. read more

He's the thing. Esther's Restaurant is not good. You don't make a special trip to go to Esther's. But it's a good place to stop if you're hungry and passing by. We each had the grilled cheese. There was absolutely nothing special about it. It's your run of the mill grilled cheese. It comes with chips and not fries - which always annoys me! Everyone knows that fries are preferable to chips. But the grilled cheeses were $3 each, so how much can you really complain? We also ordered an appetizer of onion rings. I can't remember how much the onion rings cost but I'm sure it wasn't much. However, there were only a handful of onion rings on the plate that we received. These appetizers aren't the big appetizers that you'd get if you stopped by some mediocre chain restaurant like Chili's or Applebee's, but I guess they're also considerably cheaper. Unfortunately, I also felt like they were lower in quality. One of my onion rings was clearly made with the outer most layer of onion. I couldn't even bite through the onion because it was so rubbery and hard. Come on, Esther's... My BIGGEST complaint is that this place doesn't sell breakfast all day. It's not exactly a fine dining establishment. Why can't I order eggs at noon? I'll never understand this. Eh, stop at Esther's if you have to, otherwise, you'll be happier eating somewhere else. read more

Excellent service and food, was like home cooking . Glad we stopped on our way through. Would recommend to anyone. read more

Taking a drive out through the country and stopped here for an early dinner. A bit like stepping back in time, the decor and waitresses in white uniforms, not a fancy place. But skip over all frozen and fried menu items and go for the homemade stuff- PA Dutch Yummies: Chicken corn and rivels soup was so good, big chunks of nice chicken, and I love dumpling like rivels Chicken Croquettes - I had these growing up so I love them- ground seasoned and breaded chicken pyramids with gravy- look strange if you never had them but if made well they are yummy and these were yummy, served with mashed potatoes and I had the BEST homemade rhubarb pie! I was a in PA Dutch food heaven If you have a hankering for old fashion farm food you will like the homemade items at Esther's read more

Absolutely love this place! I have been coming here my whole life and I plan to continue. Great food, great service and a great environment.

Sad. My husband and I haven't been here in over a year. What happened? We used to love this place. We came for breakfast, never again. It was terrible. Sad. read more