The restaurant and craft shop are in the last log hospitality house still providing meals for travelers on the National Pike. It sits between a gristmill dating to 1797 and the historic Casselman stone arch bridge, which was the longest single span of stone in America when it was built in 1813.

Penn Alps

There are six dining rooms, three of which were once part of the log stagecoach stop, Little Crossings Inn. The original log tavern is at the core of the current restaurant, which has been expanded six times over the years.

The evening we stopped the buffet was a full on Thanksgiving feast with sliced turkey, stuffing and wonderful creamy mashed potatoes. The homemade soups, for which they are well known, are very good.

There is an ample salad bar and they also have Hershey’s hand-dipped ice cream as one of the desserts. My mother’s favorite is the blackberry cobbler, which is a standard dessert in the buffet. I can see why she likes it, as it is indeed a wonderful, classic cobbler.

There is a full served menu as well and my husband enjoyed a special on our recent visit, a tasty salmon fillet. The menu (pdf) offers a broad selection with a definite overtone reflecting the German history of the Amish and Mennonite founders of the non-profit organization that runs the restaurant.

There are plenty of options to suit children, making this a great affordable family choice that is not a cookie cutter “family restaurant” and a nice alternative to fast food while traveling.

They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner but be prepared, they close earlier than you might expect for a restaurant serving dinner — 8 PM.

In addition to the well prepared food there is a gift shop with an extensive selection of fine hand crafted items, primarily by artists local to the region. The craft shop is open 10 am – 8 pm daily. During the day there are artisans on site in a little “village” that is just across the parking lot from the main building housing the restaurant and gift shop. The village is open May through October from 10 am – 5 pm, Monday through Saturday.

We arrived there too late in the evening to see the artists but it is a lovely location with a weaver, bird carver and metal sculptor among other fine crafts. Take time to check out the one room school house and a couple of buildings that date to the Revolutionary War period! Just beyond the village is the small river and stone bridge that was part of the original National Pike.

Prices range from $3.59 for one egg with bacon, sausage or ham to $18.99 for a Delmonico Steak dinner. The all you can eat buffet is priced at $12.99 for adults, $7.70 for children under 12 and free for children under 5 years of age (all prices subject to change).

Hours:
7 am – 8 pm daily
Country Buffet Friday’s from 4-8 pm, Saturday & Sunday from 11 am – 8 pm.

Penn Alps is approximately 85 miles from Pittsburgh.

125 Casselman Road
Grantsville, MD 21536
301-895-5985

The Jukebox Cafe is only open for lunch and dinner, which is nice because you can get the breakfast items any time. It gets crowded at peak hours, but the front is glass so you can see when there’s a wait. We had to wait about three minutes for a booth, which wasn’t bad.

The kids love the ’50s theme inside and were commenting on the Mickey Mouse photo on the wall near where we sat. There are records on the wall, photos of James Dean, Marylin Monroe and Elvis, but it’s not overdone. There are vinyl booths with formica tops, a counter with swivel stools and a jukebox (of course) that offers current hits and oldies.

On this visit, I got an egg sandwich with bacon. I love their club sandwiches, but wanted something smaller since I had eaten breakfast. When I’m really hungry I get one of their three-egg omelettes (I like the Dutch omelette with onion, cheese and potato).

One son got his favorite – grilled sticky bun. He’ll get them for breakfast or lunch! It’s a large sticky bun almost the size of the little plate that’s nice and gooey inside.

My other son got chocolate chip pancakes. They serve two very large pancakes loaded with chocolate chips. He loves them!

My daughter got a grilled cheese sandwich and fries. They have a kids’ menu with several selections even picky eaters like mine enjoy. But there are also many items on the regular menu kids might like, like plain scrambled eggs or hot dogs.

My husband got a wrap from the special’s menu. He likes their wraps, and there’s a different one every month. I believe you can get any of their regular sandwiches as a wrap as well. He also got fries.

The sandwiches are served with a small bag of Herr’s chips. It’s one of the tiny bags that really isn’t much, but it’s good for the kids. My husband and I usually order regular fries (for him) or sweet potato fries (for me) with a sandwich, and the kids help us eat them.

The servers at “the Jukebox” are always friendly, and the service is usually quick. Friday’s lunch seemed to take longer than usual. We’ve found the best time to go for breakfast is before 8 on a Friday morning.

Their parking lot  is on a hill, and there’s an outside staircase you have to use except for a limited number of parking spots at the bottom in front. We don’t mind, but I have seen people pull into the pick-up spots in front to drop off/pick up people who have trouble walking.

Sunday’s are the most crowded, but if you time it right you miss the rush before and after church. They have an enclosed waiting area out front with benches, but in summer it’s too hot to sit there, so people wait inside by the door or on the outside benches.

The Jukebox Cafe is a place I recommend to everyone new to the area, because it’s clean, the staff is friendly, and there are healthy menu options, like  salads and wraps.

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