Fine Dining Restaurants in Lancaster, Pennsylvania

The city of Lancaster is in the southern region of Pennsylvania, just 40 miles east of the state capital, Harrisburg. Situated in the Pennsylvania countryside, the surrounding area features a host of Amish communities, wineries and outdoor activities like hot air balloon rides and horse trails. The city also provides numerous fine dining experiences and gourmet restaurants, offering a variety of eclectic cuisine.

Culturas is 3 miles west of the city center. The Latin-inspired menu includes such items as shrimp fajitas, ceviche and quesadillas. The main dining room features white tablecloths and tiled floors, while the Spanish-style outdoor courtyard offers fountains, red brick tiles and live music on some evenings.

The Greenfield Restaurant & Bar inside the Olde Greenfield Inn, is just four miles east of Lancaster's city center. The menu offers such varied dishes as filet mignon, South African lobster tail and shrimp and grits. The setting includes a floral carpet, stone fireplace and white tablecloths, as well as a wine cellar and outdoor patio for private dining.

John J. Jeffries serves American cuisine, including dishes like lamb steak, beef tartar and mushroom bisque. The upscale interior features exposed brick walls, white tablecloths and wood beam ceilings.

The restaurant lies just 10 minutes on foot from Clipper Magazine Stadium, home to the professional baseball team, the Lancaster Barnstormers. Rosa Rosa Ristorante Italiano sits a miles from Clipper Magazine Stadium. The Italian-themed menu offers such items as spaghetti with meatballs, swordfish picatta and pasta Bolognese.

Drinks include various wines, martinis and beer. The high-end setting features mural-covered walls, chandeliers, marble pillars and floral upholstered chairs.Gibraltar is directly across the street from the campus of Franklin & Marshall College inside a brick building.

The restaurant features earth-tone colors with white linen tablecloths and an outdoor patio dining area complete with umbrella-covered tables. The seafood-heavy menu includes a raw bar, Maine lobster spaghetti and rainbow trout stuffed with crab. Fenz Restaurant & Latenight includes an upscale setting complete with leather booths, crystal chandeliers, hardwood floors and a towering staircase.

The menu highlights such offerings as pork loin chops with mushroom risotto and braised beef in pasta. The restaurant places diners less than a mile from Franklin & Marshall College.Penn Square Grille in the heart of Lancaster's city center is just steps from the Lancaster County Convention Center.

Gourmet samplings include goat empanadas, roasted duck and aged New York strip steak. Housed inside an ornate white building, the restaurant features pastel colored upholstered chairs, marble-top tables, sheer curtains and dark wood furnishings. Carr's Restaurant is a block from the Fulton Theatre.

The interior includes recessed lighting, a carved wooden staircase and earth-tone colored walls. The varied menu provides such fare as curried vegetables, three-cheese ravioli and lobster mac and cheese. Although the restaurant serves wine, guests may also bring their own bottles for a small corkage fee.

A travel writer since 2002, Leah Rendon has written countless articles for online pop-culture magazines and various travel-related websites, including Eurobooking and World66. Gosford also has experience in copywriting, having developed a series of articles related to network marketing. She graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles with a degree in theater arts.