Cumberland Valley has a strong culinary scene with delightful restaurants providing delectable cuisine and a warm, welcoming atmosphere. With so many choices, it’s hard to know where to start when you are looking for something new. Check out these five hidden gems and add them to your must-stop dining locations. Once you taste their food, you’ll want to return again and again.
Talking Breads
Set in the country but just a short drive from both Boiling Springs and downtown Mechanicsburg, Talking Breads is an artisan bakery and farm store. Inside, you can find old-world European bread, baked goods, fresh-pressed juices, and coffee, plus dairy and deli items, charcuterie, fresh-picked flowers, local produce, and more. The bread is crafted from fresh flour milled on-site with an Austrian stone flour mill. Purchase your favorites and grab a seat at one of the outdoor tables for al fresco dining with views of the farm fields. TIP: Check their website for the bread schedule. Fresh bread is available Wednesday after 2 pm, Friday after 3 pm, and Saturday at 9 am until sold out and then after 3 pm. Only certain bread is available each week of the month. Call (223-800-8394) to check if a particular bread is ready.
The Cracked Pot Coffee Shop
This local coffee shop is easily accessible via Route 15, but plan some extra travel time and take the back roads, which offer you a glimpse of our rolling fields of farmland. Order your specialty drink with brunch or lunch from a small menu and enjoy the homey indoor seating or linger outside at a table on the large covered porch. The shop is housed in a converted 1908 historic home, which only adds to the charm. TIP: The shop is located less than a 10-minute drive from Talking Breads, making it easy to stop at both places in one trip.
Valley Bistro
Valley Bistro is easily accessible from I-81 but hard to see from the road. The menu at this casual bistro offers creative, fresh, and delicious breakfast and lunch options. (Note: Breakfast is available all day.) Kid-friendly options plus a selection of gluten-free, vegan, and vegetarian menu items make Valley Bistro the perfect location for everyone in the family. Go light and healthy with selections such as Steve’s Protein Power Omelet (egg whites, turkey bacon, spinach, and your choice of cheese), or indulge with a hearty meal like Holy Cannoli French Toast (thick-sliced French toast stuffed with cannoli cream, topped with crumbled cannoli shells, chocolate chips, whipped cream, and powdered sugar). Just be sure to come hungry.
Massimo's Italian Bakery
Set on a busy stretch of roadway with numerous stores and restaurants, it would be easy to drive by this Italian bakery, but that would be a mistake. Inside you'll find delicious cakes, pastries, biscotti, cookies, and arancini, all made scratch the old-fashioned way, using original recipes and traditional techniques from Italy.
Tatiana’s Restaurant
Located on a quiet road just off Route 15, guests will find authentic Mediterranean and Ukrainian cuisine at Tatiana’s Restaurant. Chef Ash was born in Egypt, and his wife is from Ukraine. Together they offer guests fresh and tasty dishes that are made from family recipes and enhanced by the use of locally-sourced food (whenever available). Combined with the charming atmosphere of a renovated brick building that dates back to 1835, customers to Tatiana’s will discover a lunch and dinner menu filled with healthy, organic, and savory gourmet meals.
