Restaurants in Harrisburg

The chefs at Ciabatta stay up through the night, hand shaping and scoring dozens of loaves of airy bread until each perfectly resembles its namesake, which means slipper in Italian. Inside the flaky crust, the restaurant's sandwich smiths bury caches of oven-roasted turkey or parmesan pesto ham. They also toss the flavors of their Italian heritage into fresh salads and personal-sized pizzas. To complement their Italian eats, the staff at Ciabatta invites their guests to bring along their favorite wine, beer, or fizzy lifting drink at no corkage fee.

The chefs at Griff's Landing scour docks for freshly caught seafood to stuff plump crab cakes into massive, thick sandwiches and fry shrimp, clams, and scallops in flaky batter. Servers bear platters through the dining room's lime-green walls and tropical murals to tabletops covered with white cloths. Ornamental lights beam down from the tiki bar, where bartenders dole out beer, wine, and specialty cocktails. Outside, a wooden deck stretches out over a cheerful front patio to protect diners from sun, rain, and clouds that aren't fully nailed to the sky. Throughout the week, the restaurant hosts special events ranging from Wednesday-night trivia contests to Friday-night dance parties.