Restaurants in Hershey

Owner and chef of Josephine’s Restaurant, Daniel LeBoon learned to cook the old fashioned way—from other cooks—and spent his formative years on the line at establishments like Georges Perrier’s Le Bec Fin in Philadelphia and Alain Ducasse’s Hôtel Vernet in Paris. Armed with experience—and a certification as a professional sommelier—he opened Josephine’s Restaurant and started preparing his own culinary creations. He chose a classic log home as his venue, which was first built in 1792. Exposed beams hang over the dining room, flanked by log and stucco walls. Amidst this rustic charm, LeBoon artfully crafts every plate he sends out of the kitchen. He pairs his meals with an investigated and curated list of up-and-coming wines, which don’t require the extra-large trailers that more star-powered wines need.

Named in honor of co-owner Anthony Morgan's family crest, Black Gryphon welcomes Italian, American, and Welsh cuisine into its repertoire, a combination that earned top casual-dining and international honors in Central PA Magazine's 26th Annual Readers' Choice Survey in 2010. Though the restaurant's menu, like the seasons before the invention of autumn, changes three times a year, its culinary team consistently honors the Welsh tradition of cooking with local produce and products. Chefs incorporate ingredients culled from in state, ranging from potatoes grown at Sterman Masser Potato Farms and tempuras concocted with Yuengling lager into the eatery's small plates and mains. Meanwhile, guests feast in a dining room decorated with artwork by local photographer Danielle M. Bostic, and a banquet room accommodates up to 50 attendees for private meals. Along with delectable fare, Black Gryphon enchants visitors with entertaining events throughout the year, including live music, comedy nights, art auctions, and murder-mystery theater shows.

Sakura Japanese Restaurant's chefs forge sushi and Japanese dishes, which emerge into a dining room filled with art and racks of katanas. Smaller knives hew fresh fish into specialty rolls at the sushi bar, and tableside hibachi grills sizzle meats, seafood, and vegetables before audiences of captivated diners and concerned piles of dry straw. An all-you-can-eat menu replenishes plates with unlimited sushi and tempura, and the restaurant's BYOB policy allows guests to bring along their own bottles of wine.

Built in 1764, The Franklin House has surrounds guests with time-tested elegance complementing a menu of classic American comfort and upscale seasonal dishes. As the building has seen the ages pass, its customers continue to take advantage of its spoils as they eat in the dining room or out on the balcony. These days, guests may be found savoring blackened mahi-mahi salad while dining companions try to fit the provolone- and bacon-layered Franklin club sandwich into their own cheeks. A half-pound of Black Angus comprises the unique foot-long Frankie dog, which chefs heap with chili and cheese, and mussel and steamer dishes top tongues with fresh nautical morsels.

During his seven years in the Air Force, Shawn Moyer’s travels around the globe introduced him to numerous regional cuisines. He drew on his knowledge of different cultures while training at the York Career Institute, where he worked with many European- and French-trained chefs before being hired as Nikos’ executive chef. He’s been there ever since, concocting seasonal menus of modern American cuisine such as certified Angus beef burgers and his winter specialty snowflake au jus.

Along with his culinary crew, Executive Chef Shawn makes nearly every dish from scratch, using local ingredients such as poultry from neighboring Mennonite and Amish farms. His dishes are served in a sumptuous dining room with exposed brick walls, hardwood floors, and opulent flower arrangements. After dinner, visitors can light up a stogie on the patio of the Silver Star Cigar Lounge or watch flat-screen TVs at the bar.

In the evening, Kugo Steakhouse & Sushi Bar's chefs fire up their hibachi grills and begin to slice chicken and juggle seafood with panache, as nearby sushi chefs wrap fresh ingredients into tasty rolls. Noontime diners can opt for teriyaki lunchboxes or specials that include two or three sushi rolls.