Lancaster City Restaurant Week: No Passport or Visa Required

Over the past month, much of the Dips Men's Lacrosse junior class has gradually traded summer vacation, internships, and Hartman Green for Copenhagen, Prague, Milan and Madrid. Owen has been in Copenhagen for nearly a month, some of the boys have had a week or two to settle in, and several just left this week. From all reports, they’re having an incredible time, and are looking forward to the multiple trips they've already planned together. I hope Oktoberfest is ready for Dips lacrosse.

They’re also cheering on their teammates from a distance, missing the day-to-day connection and experiencing a fair amount of Dips lax FOMO.

A side note for freshman and sophomore parents: when your students begin considering study-abroad options, choosing from all the programs and destinations may be the hardest part. Watching this junior class plan, navigate new cities, travel together and build even stronger friendships, while collecting the kinds of shared stories and memories they’ll carry long after college has been pretty special so far and there's much more to come.

We’re so excited for them. We’re also willing to admit that we miss them.

Fortunately, Lancaster City Restaurant Week arrives at exactly the right time for us.

From September 14–20, 2026, more than 50 Lancaster restaurants will offer special menus, featured dishes and promotions. For junior parents who are nearby, it could be a reason to spend an evening in Lancaster even if your player isn't here. For senior parents, it’s another chance to return to a favorite or finally try somewhere new. And for sophomore and freshman families, it’s a great introduction to a food scene that is much bigger and more interesting than most people expect from a small college town.

If your student is on campus, send him the Restaurant Week website and suggest that he and a few friends take advantage of it—especially if he is already wondering just how good the dining hall food will be tonight.

Or you could discover that a forgotten sweatshirt, favorite snack or other supposedly irreplaceable item urgently requires personal delivery. We certainly wouldn’t discourage that.

Familiar Favorites and New Discoveries

One thing we’ve tried to do with Dips Local is help families find the places that make Lancaster worth exploring.

Restaurant Week is perfect for that. You can return to a familiar favorite, try the place you’ve walked or driven past ten times or choose a type of food you’ve never had before.

Several restaurants we’ve already featured are participating. Cabalar remains one of our favorite casual choices near campus, and its $14 smash burger is an easy recommendation. Owen is loving Copenhagen and has found both good burgers and great sushi, but Cabalar is still one of the things he misses about Lancaster.

Restaurant Week also gives us a reason to branch out. Its website recently published a wonderful guide to traveling the world through Lancaster City’s restaurants. It highlights food inspired by Nepal, Jamaica, Germany, Greece, Colombia, Laos, Italy and the Middle East. It's also another helpful resource for families who want to explore more of Lancaster.

Start at Southern Market

If you’re meeting several Dips families or trying to satisfy a group of students Southern Market may be the easiest place to begin.

The historic market has been transformed into a food hall with multiple chef stations, so everyone can choose what appeals to them while still eating together. During Restaurant Week, that could mean Middle Eastern mezze from Layali El Sham, Moroccan-Indian food from Flavors of Morocco, or Mekatos Eatery’s combination of Colombian and Laotian traditions.

And while the junior class prepares for the real Oktoberfest, those of us remaining in Lancaster can stop at Cabbage Hill Schnitzel Haus for schnitzel, bratwurst, sauerkraut and an enormous soft pretzel. It isn’t Munich, but it is considerably easier for us to reach after work on a Thursday.

Southern Market is one of our favorite suggestions for a larger group because no one has to compromise on a single menu, and its open seating makes it easy to relax and stay awhile after everyone finishes eating.

Plenty of Ways to Eat Well

Restaurant Week doesn’t have to mean seven days of steaks, burgers, fried food and enormous desserts. There are plenty of healthier, vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free choices too.

Diyo Fusion and Himalayan Curry & Grill offer Nepalese dishes with a range of vegetable, seafood, vegan and gluten-free options.

At Alchemy Ramen, diners build their own bowls by selecting the noodles, broth, protein, vegetables and toppings. Noodle bowls are 25% off during Restaurant Week, making this an especially flexible and student-friendly choice.

Near campus, Bad Garden Kitchen serves completely plant-based comfort food, while Lancaster Vegan is offering a plant-based French dip made with roasted oyster mushrooms. Layali El Sham’s mezze plates and the vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options at Flavors of Morocco add even more possibilities.

Two Very Different Places on Our List

Every Restaurant Week seems to add another restaurant to our “we really need to get there” list. This year, we have two, and they could not be more different.

Passerine is a seasonally inspired neighborhood restaurant and bottle shop with French influences, local ingredients and an intimate atmosphere. It received some serious national attention in 2024 when The New York Times named it one of its 50 favorite restaurants in America, just months after it opened. Its four-course Restaurant Week menu makes it feel particularly well suited to a parents’ evening out.

Bert & the Elephant, Lancaster’s first Belgian café, offers a completely different atmosphere and menu, with Belgian beer, burgers, wings, flatbreads and a Restaurant Week menu inspired by the varied cultures and flavors of Brussels.

One is polished and seasonal. The other promises Belgian beer and a very different kind of evening. Both clearly require further Dips Local research. We'll do our best.

Our Picks

Of course, trying something new doesn’t mean abandoning the things we already enjoy.

Next week, Rose might choose an espresso martini at Shot & Bottle and order the Vermont nachos—although she promises to share. The combination of tortilla chips, bacon, cheddar, bleu cheese, scallions and maple syrup may sound unusual, but it works.

Scott can settle in at Proof with a favorite bourbon and something from its menu of thoughtfully prepared shareable plates. Its current menu includes choices such as steak tartare, whipped ricotta and a raw-bar selection, providing plenty to enjoy alongside the whiskey list.

Fortunately, these plans are compatible and within walking distance of each other.

And if your definition of “something for everyone” includes going directly to dessert, the participating businesses even include the Vintage Candy Shop, where the Restaurant Week special is a donut-hole sundae. We’re not suggesting that a donut-hole sundae is a healthy dinner, we’re simply not ruling it out as part of the experience.

Pick a Restaurant — or an Excuse

While many of the juniors will post photos from Copenhagen cafés, Prague beer halls, Milan trattorias and Madrid tapas bars—and try not to miss too much of what is happening back at F&M, there are plenty of opportunities for us to make the most of Lancaster's Fall Restaurant Week. It isn't the same as a semester in Europe with great friends and teammates, but it is a reminder that Lancaster has built a pretty remarkable food scene of its own.

So try a new cuisine. Revisit a favorite. Send the Restaurant Week website to your student and encourage him to gather a few friends. Or use the week as your own excuse to come back to town.

Cheers!