Amish Country: Where To Eat (5 Options)

Chances are, on your visit to Amish Country, at some point you’ll get hungry.

So what to do about that? Let’s forget fast food and go for something “Amish style”. That’s why we’re here after all! I’ve got five ideas for you, for an authentic (to varying degrees) Amish meal experience.

1. Amish or PA Dutch-Style Restaurant (Buffet)
2. Local Restaurant “Where The Amish Eat”
3. Amish Benefit Meal (Breakfast/Supper)
4. Eat at an Amish Auction
5. Eat in an Amish Home

1. Amish or PA Dutch-Style Buffet Restaurant

This option is the most popular of them all. And you can see why – these places typically have buffet-style offerings and ample seating. They’re also heavily-advertised in many tourist-oriented Amish communities.

Typically serving Pennsylvania Dutch-style dishes, some of their menus can be quite extensive. Examples of these restaurants include:

• Shady Maple Smorgasbord (Lancaster County, PA)
• Bird-in-Hand Family Restaurant & Smorgasbord (Lancaster County, PA)
• Mrs. Yoder’s Kitchen (Holmes County, OH)
• Dutch Valley Restaurant (Holmes County, OH)
• Mary Yoder’s Amish Kitchen (Geauga County, OH)
• Das Dutchman Essenhaus (Elkhart County, IN)
• Blue Gate Restaurant & Bakery (Shipshewana, IN)
• Gasthof Amish Village (Daviess County, IN)
• Yoder’s Kitchen (Arthur, IL)
• Gingerich Dutch Pantry (Jamesport, MO)
• Dutch Village Restaurant (Clymer, NY – breakfast buffet)
• Der Dutchman (Pinecraft, FL)

The pluses here are all-you-can-eat, and they’ll probably have room for you. They often have gift shops attached where you can buy canned goods, Amish-themed books and decor, and baked items.

These places are typically found in the larger and more tourist-oriented Amish communities, but not always.

Food quality can vary, but you might be surprised at how good some of it is. You’ll also see Amish families sometimes eating in these restaurants as well.

2. Local, smaller places (Where Amish people might eat)

If you want to skip the buffet/smorgasbord experience and go from something smaller-scale, it’s worth finding a local place serving traditional American or PA Dutch-style food

This could be a local lunch restaurant or breakfast place. Amish women and young ladies often work in these places as waitresses. Amish people also eat at local places like these as well. Some examples:

• Boyd & Wurthmann (Holmes County – Berlin, OH)
• New Holland Diner (Lancaster County, PA)
• Marge’s Restaurant (Belleville, PA)
• Home Town Family Restaurant and Pancake House (Lagrange, IN)
• Country Cupboard Restaurant (Jamesport, MO)

You might also see Amish people eating at places you might not expect, including at fast food restaurants, Mexican restaurants, Chinese buffets, or pizza places. Amish people enjoy all of these foods too.

3. Amish Benefit Breakfast/Supper

The Amish often hold benefit meals (usually dinners or breakfasts) to help raise funds for a cause (often, medical bills).

Some local volunteer firehouses in Lancaster County (many of whom have many Amish volunteers) also hold benefit meals to help fund their stations’ operations.

Many communities hold benefit meals in addition to auctions to fund their one-room schools (the two are often combined into one event). Benefit meals are open to the public and you’re welcome to attend. You may see a sign such as the one below:

It takes a bit more effort to find one, but you may get a chance to eat a meal at an Amish benefit event if one is happening in the area you visit. There are two main ways to find an Amish benefit meal:

1. Keep your eyes open for advertisements in the community – signs might be posted on the roadside, at local Amish stores or even gas stations. Check the information board in an Amish store – or just ask if any benefit meals are happening.
2. Amish benefit meals are also at times advertised online, particularly in the case of Lancaster County volunteer fire companies.

Typically you either pay a set a price, or make a contribution, depending on how the meal is set up. You can see a typical benefit meal menu here:

Attending an Amish benefit dinner is a great way to eat a good meal prepared by Amish community members – and support a good cause at the same time.

4. Eat at An Amish Auction

An Amish auction is a great place to get a bite and enjoy a lively Amish social and business event. Amish people love attending auctions and to be sure they don’t go hungry at them.

Many Amish communities have regular weekly auctions (livestock, produce, and others). There will be a dedicated auction house in the community (eg, Mt. Hope Auction in Holmes County, Ohio or Leola Produce Auction in Leola, PA).

Some auction houses will have “permanent” restaurant facilities, which might consist of a proper full-service restaurant or a takeaway food window. One example is the Topeka Auction Restaurant in Topeka, Indiana (Elkhart-LaGrange community).

In other cases, food will be sold by vendors (often Amish) from food trucks or from food tents.

Typical “auction food” includes ham and cheese sandwiches, hamburgers, hot dogs, barbecue chicken, pretzels, nachos, and so on. You’ll also usually find an array of sweets including donuts, pies, and cookies for sale. In the video below, you can see footage from an auction restaurant in Lancaster County, PA.

It’s not a fancy meal, but it can be a great overall experience – getting a bite while attending an Amish auction.

5. Eat in an Amish Home

This is as close to an “authentic” experience as you’ll get – eating a meal cooked by an Amish family at their home property.

Now, these places typically have a separate eating area, so in most cases don’t expect to sit down at the family kitchen table. But you’ll still be eating at an Amish home, food prepared and served by the Amish.

Typically you need to make reservations for Amish home meals in advance, and there may be a minimum group size. Prices range in the $20-35 range. These home meal businesses may or may not be advertised. Often, a non-Amish intermediary, like a tour company, helps arrange these meals.

The menu is usually traditional PA Dutch-style fare, such as meatloaf, chicken, butter noodles, salad, pie, and more. Check with the specific meal place for an idea of what’s on your menu.

Amish Home Meal Venues: Locations

These can take a little legwork to find. I’ve compiled a list of Amish home meal venues from seven states below. Some of these you can contact directly. For some you’ll need to go through the intermediary to arrange the meal:

Pennsylvania

• discoverlancaster.com – Meals at the home of Samuel & Ruth Lapp in Lancaster County
• amishexperience.com – Arranges meals at the homes of three Amish families in Lancaster County
• amishfarmandhouse.com – Offers a “sunset dinner” experience on an Amish farm in Lancaster County

Ohio

• Amish Heartland Tours – Organizes group meals at Amish homes in Holmes County, Ohio

New York

• Cindy’s Home Cooking
  348 Weeks Road
  Panama, New York
  716-782-3069
• Ada M.
  Clymer, NY
  716-355-6684
  Provides dinners in her home.

Indiana

• Visit Shipshewana – Lists several Amish home meal places

Michigan

• Countryside Dinners
  8400 E Colonville Rd
  Clare, MI 48617
  989-386-8400

Illinois

• amishmeals.com – Arranges meals with Amish hosts in the Arthur, IL community
• ACM Tours – Arranges lunch and early evening suppers at Amish homes in the Arthur settlement
• Elizabeth Schrock Family Meals – Arranged through ACM Tours

For more, see:

• Amish Country: Where to Go (25-Community Guide)
• Amish Country: Where To Stay (3 Options)
• Amish Country: Five Amish Stores (You should visit)
• Lancaster County vs. Holmes County: 7 Differences
• 32-State Amish Community Guide
• My 5 Favorite Amish Communities
• The Five Friendliest Amish Communities
• What do the Amish think about tourism?