If you are looking for the best restaurants in Hawley, PA, you might be surprised by how strong the dining scene is in this small town near Lake Wallenpaupack. Between the farm-to-table restaurants, Italian-American comfort food, handmade pasta, breweries, wine bars, and lakeside dining, Hawley has become a strong food destination in the northern Poconos.
Janice and I have spent years eating our way through Hawley over multiple visits, and every spot in this guide is either somewhere we have personally eaten or a place consistently recommended by locals and longtime visitors to the area. You will find everything here from handmade pasta served inside a converted bank vault to a family-owned Italian restaurant inside a historic hotel where the staff occasionally breaks into song. There are waterfall views, seasonal tasting menus, casual bars filled with golfers after a round, and one of the best Monday night wing specials anywhere near the Poconos.
This is not quite a list of every restaurant in Hawley. These are the places to eat in Hawley most worth seeking out while you are here.
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Where to Eat in Hawley, PA
If you are trying to experience the best food in Hawley, PA, these are the restaurants I would prioritize first. They are listed roughly in order of how much I recommend them.
The Ridge at Hotel Belvidere
The Ridge is a family-owned Italian-American restaurant and bar inside Hotel Belvidere right in the center of downtown Hawley. Unless you are specifically looking for a more upscale fine dining experience, it is hard not to love The Ridge for exactly what it is.
The old wooden bar, worn floors, and the occasional staff member stepping up to sing a few songs for the crowd create an atmosphere that feels increasingly rare. The staff is warm and welcoming, and the restaurant gives off the feeling of a place where the people working there genuinely enjoy being together. Even when it fills up on weekends with tourists, golfers, and bachelor parties, it still manages to feel like a true local spot, especially earlier in the evening when regulars fill the bar.
The food is the other reason people keep coming back. Meals start with bread and roasted garlic for the table, and from there the menu leans heavily into classic Italian-American comfort food. The meatballs, chicken parm, and veal parm are standouts, while the Sunday sauce and handmade pastas consistently get mentioned by regulars.
For something quicker, there is also an outdoor pickup window serving sandwiches like chicken parm, veal parm, meatball parm, and eggplant parm heroes. It is a great option for lunch or for bringing food back to your hotel after a long day around Hawley or Lake Wallenpaupack.
The Ridge is one of the most popular downtown Hawley restaurants, especially on weekends when Main Avenue fills with visitors.
ITALIAN-AMERICAN | LIVELY BAR | COMFORT FOOD | LOCAL FAVORITE
The Settlers Inn Restaurant
The Settlers Inn probably offers the most refined dining experience in Hawley. The menu is small, seasonal, and heavily focused on ingredients sourced from local farms and producers throughout the region, with a level of cooking that stands out even within the improving restaurant scene around Hawley and Lake Wallenpaupack.
The dining room carries the same warm Arts and Crafts atmosphere as the inn itself, while the backyard terrace along the Lackawaxen River becomes one of the nicest outdoor dinner settings in the area during warmer months. The wine list has earned Wine Spectator Award of Excellence recognition, and the adjoining Chestnut Tavern is a great place to start the evening with a cocktail or stay for a drink after dinner.
The Settlers Inn is also one of the best boutique hotels in Hawley, and I included it on my list of the best hotels in Hawley, PA.
Weekend brunch is served Saturdays and Sundays from 11:30am to 2:30pm and offers a good way to experience the restaurant in a slightly more relaxed setting than dinner service.
For groups, Grant’s Woods is a private woodland dining area with picnic cabins, hammock chairs, an outdoor fire kitchen, and string lights tucked into the trees, accommodating up to 10 guests.
FARM-TO-TABLE | UPSCALE DINING | ROMANTIC DINING | SEASONAL MENU | WINE LIST
Ravyn & Robyn
Ravyn & Robyn Food & Wine is owned by an Italian family originally from Ancona, a coastal city on the Adriatic Sea, and that background clearly shapes the restaurant. Chef Kafil Esina takes obvious pride in the food and even came out personally to deliver dishes to the table during my visit.
The restaurant occupies the former First National Bank of Hawley building dating back to 1902. A long bar stretches across much of the main dining room, an upstairs wine bar hosts live music, and the original bank vault at the back of the restaurant has been converted into a private dining room available by reservation. It sounds gimmicky on paper, but in person the space really works.
The menu focuses heavily on handmade pasta and stays relatively compact, which is usually a good sign. Standout dishes include tortellini in broth, pappardelle with lamb bolognese, tagliatelle with meat sauce, grilled octopus over chickpea purée, lasagna, and ravioli. Cocktails are made well here, and the Italian wine list is one of the better ones in the Hawley area.
Ravyn & Robyn is a good for date night, group dinners, or anyone looking for a more polished Italian dining experience in Hawley.
ITALIAN | HANDMADE PASTA | HISTORIC BANK BUILDING | COCKTAILS | GIRLS NIGHT OUT
Gresham's Chop House
Gresham’s Chop House has had roots around Lake Wallenpaupack since 1949 and remains one of the best-known restaurants in the area. Located along Route 6 overlooking the lake, the second-floor dining room and outdoor deck both take advantage of the elevated water views, especially around sunset.
While technically a chop house, the menu goes well beyond steak. Along with seafood dishes and a full section of Italian-American classics, the grill menu includes prime rib, filet mignon, strip steak, pork chops, and a massive 20-ounce dry-aged cowboy ribeye that is one of the best steakhouse-style cuts around Hawley.
Gresham’s works especially well for larger groups, golf weekends, and bachelor parties because the menu has enough range to satisfy just about everyone at the table. Between the steaks, seafood, pasta dishes, cocktails, and lake views, it manages to feel both casual and slightly upscale without becoming overly formal.
Service might not always be the best, but the food and the lake views make up for it.
LAKE VIEWS | STEAKS & SEAFOOD | GROUP DINNERS | GOLF WEEKENDS
Glass Wine Bar & Kitchen
If you are looking for the restaurant with the best view in Hawley, Glass Wine Bar & Kitchen at Ledges Hotel is probably the answer. The dining room and outdoor decks overlook the Wallenpaupack Creek gorge and Paupack High Falls, while the building itself still carries pieces of its past as part of the former O’Connor Glass Factory. Original glass mold prints and other factory-era details remain throughout the restaurant, giving the space a character that feels noticeably different from anywhere else in the Poconos.
The menu is built around seasonal small plates designed for sharing, with dishes rotating regularly depending on what is available. Past highlights have included fried artichoke hearts with garlic remoulade, slow-braised lamb, and fried Brussels sprouts finished with cider gastrique and Aleppo chili. The wine list focuses entirely on American producers alongside craft beer and spirits.
During warmer months, the outdoor decks and Sunday evening live music become a major draw, especially around sunset. Whether you are staying at Ledges Hotel or simply passing through Hawley for the evening, Glass is worth stopping at for the view. One thing to keep in mind: the enclosed seating area closest to the waterfall can run noticeably cool, particularly during spring and fall evenings, so bringing a layer is a good idea.
As the restaurant at Ledges Hotel, it draws both hotel guests and visitors coming specifically for the waterfall setting.
WATERFALL VIEWS | SMALL PLATES | WINE BAR | OUTDOOR DINING
Cora's 1850 Bistro
If you are driving into Hawley from the east, Cora’s 1850 Bistro is hard to miss. The bright blue building with yellow awnings along Welwood Avenue stands out immediately and has become one of the top casual restaurants in town. It is also one of the few restaurants in Hawley open seven days a week, which matters more than you might expect once you realize how many local spots close earlier in the week.
The menu runs across burgers, sandwiches, seafood, pasta dishes, salads, and comfort food staples. Popular orders include the prime rib, BBQ burger, raspberry teriyaki tuna, chicken and waffles, and the smoked salmon BLT. Portions are generous, prices stay reasonable, and the restaurant makes an easy stop for either lunch or dinner after a day around Lake Wallenpaupack.
Monday is an especially good night to stop in thanks to 75-cent wings and $3 Yuengling Lager pints, oen of the more popular deals around Hawley. Cora’s also posts daily specials regularly on Facebook, which is worth checking before visiting to see what the kitchen is running that day.
COMFORT FOOD | FULL BAR | DAILY SPECIALS | OPEN 7 DAYS | MONDAY WING NIGHT
Cocoon Coffee House
Cocoon Coffee House sits inside the small building that once stored silk cocoons for the neighboring Hawley Silk Mill, giving it one of the more interesting backstories of any coffee shop in the area. It is an easy place to start the morning in Hawley, especially before exploring the Silk Mill shops or heading out around Lake Wallenpaupack for the day.
Coffee is sourced from Moka Origins in nearby Honesdale, which makes the best small-batch chocolate in the area as well. Depending on the season, the kitchen turns out quiches, soups, salads, paninis, and rotating breakfast and lunch specials made with ingredients from local farms and producers. The chocolate chip croissants in particular get mentioned constantly by both regulars and visitors.
Guests staying at Ledges Hotel receive breakfast vouchers here.
COFFEE SHOP | BREAKFAST & LUNCH | SILK MILL | FRESH PASTRIES
Restaurants A Little Further Out: But Worth the Drive
If you are looking for restaurants near Hawley, PA that are worth a short drive, these two spots come up consistently when locals talk about the best dining options in the area.
Fairview Cafe in Tafton sits about 10 minutes south of downtown Hawley near Lake Wallenpaupack and is one of the more consistently well-regarded restaurants near Lake Wallenpaupack. The menu focuses on seafood, steaks, chops, and pasta in a casual fine dining setting with a strong emphasis on seasonal ingredients. It is also BYOB, which makes it especially popular for longer dinners and group meals. From May through September, live jazz, folk, and acoustic music runs Thursday evenings from 6pm to 9pm on the outdoor wraparound deck. 250 PA-390, Tafton
Blue Fox Motel is about 30 minutes from Hawley along the Delaware River in nearby Narrowsburg, New York. I have not eaten here personally yet, but locals mention it constantly when talking about restaurants worth driving to outside Hawley itself. The atmosphere centers around a cozy hearth dining room, while the menu leans toward seasonal bistro fare with a mix of American and international influences. Dishes like stuffed trout, grilled octopus, and pork tenderloin get mentioned frequently by diners. Reservations are strongly recommended. 5670 NY-97, Narrowsburg
Where to Drink in Hawley, PA
Hawley has two breweries and a winery, and between the three of them you’ll be fine for a long weekend.
Wallenpaupack Brewing Company on Welwood Avenue is the most established brewery in town, known for its award-winning beer lineup, full food menu, and large beer garden that fills quickly on warm weekends.
For something smaller and lower-key, Hopping Eagle Brewing Company recently relocated to a larger space along Route 6 and focuses on rotating small-batch beers in a modern taproom setting.
A few miles outside town, Three Hammers Winery is a great afternoon stop in the area. The property includes outdoor seating, live music on many weekends, and walking trails along West Falls Creek where guests can carry a glass of wine while exploring the grounds.
Hawley’s restaurant scene is one of the more unexpected strengths of the northern Poconos. For a town this size, there is a surprising amount of variety, from handmade pasta served inside a converted bank vault to casual Monday night wings and Yuengling at a neighborhood bar and grill on Welwood Avenue. Between the lakeside dining, Italian-American comfort food, farm-to-table restaurants, breweries, wine bars, and coffee shops, it is easy to spend a full weekend eating well without feeling like every meal blends together.
If you are still planning your trip, my guide to the best things to do in Hawley, PA covers everything from breweries and lake activities to hiking trails and rail biking. And if you are deciding where to stay, my guide to the best hotels in Hawley, PA covers hotels and resorts throughout the Lake Wallenpaupack area.
Whether you are a first-time visitor or a regular, the restaurants in Hawley, PA offer enough variety to keep a full weekend well fed.
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