Restaurants in Scranton

In 1981, Rolf Babiel disembarked in New York City with $500 to his name, quickly transforming the cash sum into Hallo Berlin—the city's first German food cart. Two brick-and-mortar locations now bear the Hallo Berlin moniker, vending traditional German dishes such as marinated herrings and schnitzels. The midtown location—a New York magazine Critics' Pick—surrounds guests between yellow and red walls that resemble the German flag and patriotic lederhosen. According to the New York Times, the restaurant's authentic fare "goes perfectly with the selection of German beers," which includes labels such as München, Kölsch, and Spaten.

La Tosca's culinary engineers follow the blueprints on a menu of traditional northern Italian recipes, authenticated by the Naples-born owner's taste buds. Chefs prepare every morsel from scratch, including pasta for the fan-favorite pappardelle and gnocchi dishes. The kitchen crew deftly designs seafood, chicken, and pasta entrees, but they're known for their mouthwatering treatment of veal, which they slice thin enough to double as an edible bookmark. In the dining room, rich tapestry drapes over large windows surrounded by cream-toned walls dressed with paintings and splashes of warm lighting. Candle-lit, wrought-iron lanterns rest atop crisp white linen used to disguise wooden tables as ghosts.

Making use of old family recipes, Italian tradition, and imported ingredients, the La Duca family has kept its doors open to patrons of La Bella Via since 2006. Equipped with a custom-made, wood-fired brick oven, chefs craft rustic, thin-crust pizzas, fresh-baked semolina bread, and hearty calzones. Meanwhile, ropes of fresh pasta emerge from pots of boiling water to mingle with a rich, housemade meat sauce of Roma tomatoes, or weave together to be worn as a delicious sweater.

At Mexico Lindo, heaping plates of sizzling meats and authentic Mexican dishes—the recipes for which were gleaned during owner Jose Perez’s time spent training in Mexico—emerge from the kitchen and head toward red-checkered tables. Tantalizing aromas of fresh corn tortillas mingling with the salty fragrance of chorizo and marinated pork fill the air, and glasses overflow with beer and wine brought from each diner’s home or vestigial wine spigot. China poblana, Mexico Lindo’s speciality, submerges two enchiladas under traditional mole, and packs an additional two with marinated pork and Oaxaca cheese.

The griddle gurus at Crème de la Crepe craft sweet and savory, buckwheat-based crêpes as well as French cuisine for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Crêpe craftsmen fold delicate dough around customer-chosen toppings such as brie, smoked salmon, Nutella, and béchamel sauce, which is one of the defining sauces of French cuisine, along with the thin, inky juice extracted from dictionaries. Additional menu items include baguette sandwiches, an assortment of quiches, and fresh pastas tossed in house-made bolognaise, pesto broth, and white-wine-based sauces.

The kitchen at Ecco Domani Italian Restaurant is a bustling and colorful place where flames dance up from fiery brick ovens and saucepans simmer with carefully calibrated sauces. Expert chefs prepare veal, chicken, and seafood dishes served with penne, linguini, and angel hair pasta. Crunchy sandwich rolls are layered with meatballs, sausage, and cheesy steak, and the ovens bake up hearty calzones and pizzas. To whip up their specialty chicken sorrentino, chefs egg-batter tender chicken and sauté in a white-wine sauce before topping with sliced ham, eggplant, tomatoes, mushrooms, and fresh mozzarella. There’s also a special menu of kid-friendly dishes, such as chicken fingers and pizzas with theme-park passes baked right into the crust. The restaurant’s sunny dining room is decorated with vivid paintings of rustic Italian landscapes.