Jethro’s Restaurant & Bar

Returning to Unilocal to add a 5^th star. Returned with friends. The food is amazing and fresh. You won’t find a better Duck Breast anywhere, the Shrimp and Cashews was fantastic and not drenched in some soy sauce asian sauce. Cajun meatloaf was tasty.
We never order desserts, but here it is a must. The absolute best white chocolate cheesecake in existence. The texture was so creamy and decadent.
Service is outstanding. Shout out to Abby whose smile and laugh was infectious! Looking forward to our next visit!
(Oh and their house Cabernet is excellent too!)

Best Sidecar in Lancaster. Great appetizer selection, and the meals are always on point. Intimate setting, great service.

Oh yuck. And way too expensive for yuck. Started dinner with a caeser salad which was ok, and calamari appetizer which was just awful. The flavor of canned garlic and red pepper flakes was so overpowering that even 6 hours later I couldn’t get it out of my mouth even though I only had 2 bites. Entrees were uninteresting at best. The chicken special with blue cheese, apples and walnuts was just that. Tasteless chicken sauteed in tasteless liquid with s small dollop of blue cheese and some cut up apples and walnuts on top. The lamb medallions tasted like they were smothered in grocery store hoisin sauce. Nothing spectacular at all. None of it. and we both had unbelievable heartburn all night :(

Excellent food! I typically get the duck breast every time, but every once in a while I’ll get a burger. Everything is always flavorful and well cooked. My wife slays their bread pudding and their pecan pie is the best I’ve had. Never a dull moment with the staff… great personalities and always, always friendly. It seems none of them ever have a bad day.
The parking is on street, but you typically don’t have to walk more than a block or two even on busy nights.

Awesome! Food, drinks, service, atmosphere. They’ve got it all! We always have a great time when we go here.

This 3 star review is an average of my two visits here. I first visited Jethro’s about 2 years ago and sat at the bar. It’s a friendly, corner neighborhood bar that seemed frequented by regulars. The place was dark in a nice way, service was great and everyone was very friendly. Drinks were well made, quick and appetizers were tasty. We came back recently on a tuesday night for a sit down dinner in the dining room. The décor was spot on. Waitress service was quick, attentive and exactly what we expected. We were checked up on frequently and drinks were quickly brought to the table. The 2 soups we ordered were great, and possibly the best part of the meal. Unfortunately, this time, we were let down by the dinner. My burger, which I ordered as medium, was probably between medium well and well done. There was no pink at all in the middle, and the meat seemed a bit dry. The Bernaise sause was the best part of the burger. I liked the concept of serving it on an open face toasted piece of bread. Instead of fries or chips, the burger came with stir fry, which was well cooked, but different from what I expected with a burger. I just wish they would have taken the burger off a few minutes earlier. The waitress must have noticed that the burger was a bit overcooked, because halfway through, she came by and asked if it was too well done, which was very thoughtful. The pasta, chicken, and artichoke dish was ok, but overpowered by enough sun dried tomatoes for 3 – 4 servings, and a bit overseasoned. The herbs seemed more like dried herbs than fresh. We may have come on an off night, and if my burger was a little less dry, this place could have received 4 – 5 stars, just based on drinks, service and atmosphere. We’ll have to come back again for dinner to see if we just came on a bad night.

Let me start by saying my husband Thomas and I love Jethro’s– we have been coming here for all our special occasions since 1997. We have known the staff and the Chef, and consider it our favorite Lancaster spot. Tonight, however, we are having a ow night. We arrived at 5:15, knowing that we were a bit before serving time– however, it is now 6:30 and we are not yet served, but all we ordered were appetizers– ack! We hope all is ok at our fav place!

Possibly Lancaster City’s greatest hidden gem. It isn’t on a main road like King Street but travel a few blocks south and you have hit pay dirt. The ambiance is very bohemian, and overall the place is a tight fight. You’d be wise to make reservations. The menu is constantly changing and I don’t think you can go wrong with anything. The mixed drinks from the bar are high quality. If you are looking for good food and a kooky staff, be ready to save room for desert.

This place is one of my absolute Lancaster favorites. The ONLY negative is the parking. Only on street parking available… but the extra effort to park is worth it. Fresh oranges, limes and lemons are fresh squeezed for every drink… no sour mix here… Ask for a drink made with their housemade ginger juice.
I would recommend always ordering from the weekly specials. They have a soup, a pasta, a pizza, a chicken, and a salmon special every week. Always save room for the homemade desserts. Bread pudding is absolutely the best ever; however all the desserts are homemade and amazing.
If you can parallel park or can grab a cab get to Jethro’s. I have lived in Lancaster all my life and this is one of the very best places. a hidden gem for sure. Fantastic service… great personalities.

Jethro’s is a small restaurant. The bar area has 3 good size booths in addition to bar seating. There is a larger back room with tables that can accommodate larger groups. This arrangement is both a positive and negative. When groups are waiting at the bar, the small room can get noisy but, once they move to back room, it becomes a cozy room for quiet conversations.
The food was good. My partner had the First & Ruby pasta. She described it as above average with good proportions of chicken, artichokes, and tomatoes that were not overwhelmed by the pasta. I had the burger plain so I cannot speak to the their usual burger which has a house sauce. The large thick burger is unusual in that it is served open faced on a baguette. It was perfectly medium for me.
There is only a limited selection of beers on tap. The wine list is modest.
Service was good.
Jethro’s is located in a quiet residential neighborhood. Someone described it as a rough neighborhood. I disagree but maybe I am biased since my partner had lived just a block away. There is no off-​street parking. The unisex restroom was clean and well decorated.

Love this place. Not big so you might want to call ahead but interesting menu, super friendly staff and great drinks.

After hearing about it from others, went there for first time last week. It was awesome! Food and service and atmosphere… all great.

It wasn’t horrible. That about sums it up. My entre was so-​so, my boyfriend got the tuna steak which was delicious, but the entire meal was a single tuna steak on a plate. They brought a little side plate with a few green beans on it but that was it. We both came in pretty hungry, and left feeling pretty much just as hungry with a $ 56 bill (we also both got two of the less expensive entrees on the menu). We actually thought about going to the Thai place a few blocks over for a second meal! In summary, it wasnt horrible. But I wouldnt go back.

Jethro’s is always a great meal. Staff and service are always top notch.
I don’t agree with a couple of reviews on «tough chicken» or «salty food». I’m very sensitive to salty flavors and over salted food and have never experienced this in any of my dozen or so visits to Jethro’s.
Menu no longer changes daily but they always offer exciting and different specials.
Love the atmosphere. It’s a great little spot.

Meant to write this back in October when we went, but… the memory’s solid, as this was outstanding. I suggested Jethro’s as our Homecoming dinner at Franklin & Marshall College this year; my wife and I met there, our maid of honor went there and was celebrating her anniversary this same weekend, and our daughter is a student there now. I wanted to go back to Jethro’s because I’d just written about the place in a book I’m working on; it was the first place I ever had a real, hand-​made whiskey sour, and the memory was, again, solid, after 30 years.
I got there early, and there was only one thing to do: sit down at the bar and have a whiskey sour. It was superb: fresh-​squeezed juice, just a touch of sugar, and a solid slug of bourbon. Good thing the rest of the party showed up shortly thereafter! Bar service was perfect: friendly but not familiar, sophisticated and smooth.
We had a great meal — I got smoked trout and a delicious chunk of grouper — and the service was very attentive. That was actually the only downside, and the reason I’m going four stars — which would be 4.5 if I could — is that the service was maybe a bit much, and interrupted the dinner a little too often. Still, if you have to err, that’s the side to err on. Desserts and coffee were excellent. Really, one of the best places in Lancaster still, and I’d encourage you to visit.

Wow! Definitely one of my new favorite restaurants in Lancaster.
Check this place out if you haven’t been here. It’s definitely not in the heart of downtown, but such a neat place that is worth finding your way to.
The #1 thing that stands out about this place is the service and friendliness of the staff. The hostess and waitress were chatty and friendly, telling us about specials and asking about how our day was. I felt like we were their long lost friends!
I tried the cucumber gazpacho, which was spicy, but REALLY good. For my main course, I ordered the portobello caps, which were equally delicious. The food tasted fresh and I loved the creativity of how the dishes were designed.
I could go on for hours about this place, but do yourself a favor and check it out. You won’t be disappointed!

Came here on the recommendation of a «local» while I was in town visiting a client.
Warning, it is in some kind of GPS vortex that means you will never find it. I had to drive around for almost two hours, probably passed it about 10 times and it wasn’t until I got so frustrated I flagged down a cop in order to find the place.
In a way I’m glad I did find a cop because he was very friendly and he told me a bit about the history of the place. Apparently, before prohibition the restaurant served as a meeting place for members of the Pennsylvania Uprising who were able to trade products from their small farms for ammunition and weapons. During prohibition it was a speakeasy and it still retains some of that mysterious charm. There is virtually no lighting inside and both my client and I had trouble seeing the menu and our food, you might want to consider bringing a pen light if you have trouble in dark places.
The décor is lovely and the food is AMAZING. I have never had such succulent pork tenderloin and my client had the grilled portobello. Since we loved the food so much we shared everything and his food was every bit as good as mine. We also had the prosciutto, an order of calamari and split a Jethro burger that is covered in delicious bearnaise sauce. We figured, if it’s named after the restaurant it’s probably not to be missed and we were right. We were a little curious what the «wine fingers» on the menu were, but we forgot to order them. All in all, a memorable meal.

During prohibition, Jethro’s was a speakeasy and it still maintains a lot of charm. The property is very well taken care of, and was a pleasant surprise in my neighborhood.
The lighting is dim, but creates an ambiance that is felt as soon as you enter. The building itself is small; there are only three booths near the bar area and a back dining room. We were lucky enough to snag the middle booth.
The staff is very friendly and welcoming. My boyfriend and I mentioned we were new to town and got a complete run down of the menu and some local hot spots. Both couples on either side of us were regulars and also gave us some Lancaster living tips. They also said to call ahead to reserve the booths because they usually aren’t available.
The beers were reasonably priced, although the selection doesn’t include Anheuser Busch products.
They have weekly specials that all sounded fantastic, but I ended up with the grilled portobello and Lou with the Jethro burger with a béarnaise sauce. The entrées are served with Tapenade and bread basket. If you like olives, this spread is spot on.
The portobello was perfection, although the bread underneath ended up a bit soggy. The Jethro burger was phenomenal. It was cooked perfectly medium rare and the homemade béarnaise sauce was a great addition. It is served open face with vegetables and would probably be my next menu selection.
The service was prompt, but relaxed. I felt we were able to enjoy our dinner together.
I will definitely be back; the service and atmosphere, the food and drinks, oh, and it’s only a block from my new place.

Jethro’s is a little hard to find – even GPS had trouble. Parking is on-​street only, and a little hard to find. Don’t be surprised to have to walk a block or two. The restaurant itself is quaint, an old house in the old part of town. It’s tiny, but fun; the décor is perfect for the building. Servers are friendly and knowledgeable, but less attentive than one might expect in a small place.
Sadly, the food did not live up to the atmosphere. The appetizer was okay, a little spicier than one would expect, but palatable. The entrees, however, were overly salted, to the point of overpowering.
The menu changes daily, and we were there late, which may have explained some of the disappointment. Still, I expected better from a place with such good reviews. It’s worth a second try, though.

In a neighborhood in Lancaster which makes parking tricky but if I had this bar in my neighborhood I’d love it
We started with some cocktails that were perfect and only $ 7.00 each
The place is SMALL but the bar is pretty cool and there were people eating at the bar and the few booths in the bar. Then there is a very small dining room and there was music upstairs in small room
We were a party of 5 and had
Fresh Mozzarella wrapped in prosciutto $ 8.95 3 pieces 1“x2″ with balsamic vinegar and few roasted red peppers, was tasty
Salads were nice and were a nice size $ 6– $ 7
Pork Tenderloin with mash, steamed veg $ 19.95 Looked and smelled great and was really enjoyed
2 had the Filet Mignon $ 27.95 but did not come with any sides, only thing on the menu that had no sides, and there are no À la carte items on the menu, came in a pool of port wine reduction but was cooked nicely
Grilled Portabello $ 15.95 was had by our vegetarian
I had the chicken special with peanut sauce $ 18.95 came with nice amount of sno peas, some rice noodles, but I had a heck of a time cutting my chicken it was tough
Desserts are homemade, we ordered the apple pie, the bread pudding which was huge, and the crème caramel but that one never came
The food overall was good but I think overpriced, our service was very good