10 Pennsylvania restaurants with breathtaking views

Whether you’re on a waterfront or overlooking a mountain landscape or city skyline, these Pennsylvania restaurants serve up stunning scenery alongside excellent food.

Pennsylvania is home to gorgeous natural landscapes as well as impressive urban vistas. While some may relish a panoramic view after climbing a mountain, we personally love enjoying a beautiful view while sitting and eating. That’s why we’ve rounded up 10 restaurants in the commonwealth that offer both delicious eats and breathtaking views. While many of these restaurants are more upscale — you’re often paying for the view, after all — there are also more casual eateries and bars where you can relax in front of picturesque scenery with an affordable meal. You’re sure to savor both the food and the view.

1. Top of the 80s – Hazleton

Described as upscale dining but with a more casual atmosphere, Top of the 80s in Hazleton is a restaurant atop the Conyngham Valley in Hazleton, located near where Interstate 80 and 81 meet. From the restaurant patio, you can see a wide, expansive view of the valley and Sugarloaf Mountain. The menu serves classic meals that would have also been popular during the restaurant’s early days (it’s been a Hazleton special occasion restaurant since 1976) like French onion soup and shrimp cocktail.

Sugarloaf Mountain and the surrounding Conyngham Valley, pictured here, can be seen from Top of the 80s in Hazleton. (John Lockwood/CC BY-NC-ND-2.0)

2. Doc and Bubba’s – Mohnton

Doc and Bubba’s is a classic American eatery in Mohnton with an outdoor patio that’s a gateway to a gorgeous view of the Berks County hills. You can partake in the view year-round thanks to technology (that is, fireplaces). The restaurant is relatively new, having only opened in 2022, but it’s already a community hotspot with its casual atmosphere and creative drinks. Some favorite dishes at Doc and Bubba’s include the lobster roll, the salmon BLT, and wood fired pizza.

3. RE Farm Cafe at Windswept Farm – State College

RE Farm Cafe is true farm-to-table dining, where the ingredients of your meal come directly from the farm that’s home to the cafe. And the incredible view of the mountains of central Pennsylvania is only one part of the appeal. Eating at Re Farm Cafe is also a unique experience due to Windswept Farm’s commitment to organic and sustainable practices. Though the farm cafe is surrounded by natural scenery, downtown State College is just a 10-minute drive away. Besides farm-to-table dining Thursday through Saturday, the cafe is also an event venue.

Visitors to RE Farm Cafe at Windswept toast to a gorgeous sunset. (RE Farm Cafe)

4. Out of the Fire Café – Donegal

With its flavorful New American menu and picturesque view from the restaurant back patio (or wide dining room windows), Out of the Fire Cafe is a gem of the scenic Laurel Highlands. Diners can dig into unique food offerings like Thai pork belly deviled eggs, cardamom roasted beets, and seafood pot pie, alongside more traditional fare like the restaurant’s signature smoked salmon. The extensive bar menu offers fun cocktails, plenty of craft beers, as well as wine and spirits.

5. SkyHigh – Philadelphia 

You can experience SkyHigh, the restaurant from Michelin-starred chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, atop the Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia. The restaurant, which serves breakfast, lunch, dinner, and drinks, offers incredible city views from the 60th floor of one of the tallest buildings in Philly. SkyHigh is definitely fine dining, with a dress code (no athletic attire; smart casual clothing encouraged) and reservations are required. As such, the dinner menu is upscale — it even has a separate caviar section. However, if you’d like to enjoy the panoramic views at SkyHigh for a less spend-y meal, you might visit for breakfast, where you can order the chicest of egg or pancake breakfasts for much less than the cost of dinner. 

SkyHigh Philadelphia offers panoramic views of the city atop the Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia. (Christian Horan/Four Seasons)

6. Shoreline Bar & Grille – Erie 

At Erie’s Shoreline Bar & Grille, you’re treated to a lovely view of Presque Isle Bay and Lake Erie beyond. Shoreline Bar & Grille is in the Courtyard Erie Bayfront hotel on the Sassafras Pier. The casual restaurant serves an American menu, including regional delights like blackened walleye, along with a full bar. During the warmer months, the outdoor patio lets you feel the lake breeze while you eat.

7. LeMont – Pittsburgh 

Grandview Avenue on Pittsburgh’s Mount Washington is home to amazing views of Pittsburgh. This view of the skyline is what visitors who ride one of Pittsburgh’s two inclines are treated to when they reach the top of Mount Washington. Though you can quickly check out the city from a number of public overlooks on Mount Washington, you can also enjoy it for the length of a meal at a Grandview Avenue restaurant like LeMont. The fine dining Pittsburgh institution has been serving upscale food and fantastic views for more than 65 years. You can order classic “Continental” dishes like Steak Diane and Caesar salad while you gaze at the lights of downtown Pittsburgh. 

LeMont is one of a handful of fine dining restaurants atop Pittsburgh’s Mount Washington that provide superb views of the city skyline. (Michael Zeising/CC BY 2.0)

8. The Factory South Shore – Pittsburgh 

While the restaurants on Mount Washington’s Grandview Avenue pair fine dining with the Pittsburgh skyline, don’t miss the view from below. The Factory South Shore is within Station Square’s Sheraton Hotel and sits just next to the Monongahela River at the bottom of Mount Washington. From the restaurant’s dining room across from Pittsburgh’s downtown, you get a wide view of the city, up close and personal. The Factory South Shore’s atmosphere is warm and inviting with craft cocktails and modern American eats. You can enjoy breakfast, lunch, or dinner, but don’t sleep on the weekday happy hour, where you can soak up a view of Pittsburgh’s bridges with $4 drafts.

Station Square, where The Factory South Shore is located, offers a great view of downtown Pittsburgh. (@djk1/CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

9. Slopeside Pub & Grill – Palmerton 

Slopeside Pub & Grill may be located within Blue Mountain Resort, but the mountain-top restaurant is not just for those finishing a day of skiing. Open year-round, the restaurant is the perfect place for those looking for a glorious view of the Pocono Mountains alongside their meal. During the winter, you can indeed gawk at the skiers on the slopes below, but the summer views of green mountains are beautiful as well. The menu is mostly pub food, with plenty of burger, fry, and wing options that won’t break the bank.

Open year-round, Slopeside Pub & Grill at Blue Mountain Resort gives unrivaled views of the Pocono Mountains during the snowy ski season and when the mountains are lush and green. (PoconoMountains.com)

10. Glass – Hawley

A restaurant at the Pocono Mountains Ledges Hotel in Hawley, Glass nods to the history of the hotel property, which was a large glass factory at the turn of the twentieth century. Tall glass windows surround the dining area so that guests have unrivaled views of the falls of the river gorge just outside the restaurant. And in the warmer months, tables on Glass’s outdoor deck allow visitors an even closer look at the waterfalls. Diners can enjoy modern American food like wild mushroom risotto as well as innovative small plates featuring a variety of cuisines. The restaurant also has a full bar featuring American-made spirits.

This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.