Pennsylvania

Breakfast for dinner is on the menu at these Western Pennsylvania eateries

Published

3 weeks ago

May 16, 2026

Breakfast for dinner is on the menu at these Western Pennsylvania eateries

Breakfast dishes can be a fun departure from traditional dinner foods when dining out. While plenty of diners serve breakfast all day, many of those spots close at 2 or 3 p.m.

“It’s one of those things that everybody wants — we sell a lot of breakfast at night,” said Back To The 80’s Diner co-owner Shane Hissem. “After 4 p.m., we sell about 30% breakfast. I think sometimes people just get hungry for it.”

Hissem, his wife Kari Hissem and Aimee Bell co-own the Greensburg diner decked out in ’80s memorabilia, including a mounted E.T. in a bicycle basket, servers decked out in ’80s leg warmers and fanny packs, Pac-Man wall art and a MTV-themed wall.

The cheesy hash browns ($3.49) and fruit-filled stuffed pancakes ($8.98) are a hit, along with eggs Benedict ($9.99).

“People love the vibe and the breakfast at night,” Hissem said.

Server Bria Boyle said her customers really dig the pancakes for supper.

“French toast, pancakes and a lot of omelets are ordered at night. Customers come in at 7:30 p.m. and get their coffee and breakfast — we even serve Spam,” Boyle said.

Oakmont Bakery retail manager Billy O’Block holds three specialty breakfast sandwiches sold all day at the bakery/cafe in Oakmkont. (Joyce Hanz | TribLive)

Breakfast, er, dinner sandwiches

Cameron Wycich of Shaler likes to get creative when he orders build-your-own breakfast sandwiches at Oakmont Bakery in Oakmont.

The cafe there serves 10 different breakfast sandwiches all day, until 7 p.m.

“Today I ordered a blueberry bagel with bacon, egg and cheese. I occasionally order one for dinner,” Wycich said.

Oakmont Bakery co-owner Tony Serrao said offering breakfast options all day has proved popular with customers.

“People come in and order them all day long, especially kids coming over from the high school after school. They love to get hash browns, breakfast sandwiches and they even like to put the hash brown on the sandwich,” Serrao said.

Sandwich prices range from $6 to $10.

Breakfast for dinner is a concept that just “caught on” for Oakmont Bakery.

“We just revamped our cafe and offer fresh-squeezed orange juice all day now, too. We are a bakery, but our cafe has just evolved over the years,” Serrao said.

The Giant Cinnamon Roll Pancake at Youngstown Grill in Youngstown near Latrobe. (Courtesy of Youngstown Grill)

Extra large pancakes

Craving a mega-sized pancake for supper?

You’ll find them at Youngstown Grill near Latrobe. The best seller is the giant cinnamon roll pancake ($6.95), which covers the plate.

A homemade cinnamon sauce is made in-house and you can add chocolate chips or blueberries for $1.50.

Breakfast here is served until 8 p.m. Another popular breakfast choice is the Youngstown scramble ($9.95) served with eggs, onions, green peppers, home fries and a choice of bacon or sausage, all mixed together.

Hash it out

The Corned Beef Hash Breakfast served at Tap It Brewery and Grill in Mt. Pleasant. (Courtesy of Tap It Brewery and Grill)

Tap It Brewery & Grill in Mt. Pleasant is another spot for hearty breakfast-for-dinner options. They serve breakfast until closing between 7:30 p.m. and 9 p.m., depending on the day.

The house-brewed beers pair well with breakfast.

The most popular breakfast meal is corned beef hash ($10.95), which is made with braised beef in a brine and served with breakfast potatoes, two eggs and toast.

Menu highlights include The Mammoth Special ($10.95) featuring two eggs, choice of sausage, ham or bacon, choice of two regular pancakes or two waffles or two French toast and one side. Three stuffed pancakes ($8.95) are served folded like a taco and stuffed with a homemade cheesecake filling (apple, strawberry, cherry or blueberry) and served with a side.

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Frederic Rongier, owner of Paris 66, folds a breakfast crepe inside his East Liberty restaurant on May 6. (Kristina Serafini | TribLive)

Savory crepes

Authentic French crepes are served for dinner at Paris 66 Bistro in East Liberty.

Proprietor Frederic Rongier studied at a crepe-making French institution in 1999.

One of the two dinner options is made with buckwheat and is gluten-free. Both can be made with Swiss cheese, egg and a choice of ham or bacon.

Crepes are $25 each and adding smoked salmon is $12 more.

Rongier is keen on buckwheat crepes.

“It’s 100% French and the taste is not comparable with anything else,” he said, also recommending pairing a crepe with French cider Cidre Brut ($42), a dry, crisp alcoholic French drink.

Crepes are commonly eaten for supper in France, particularly in the Brittany region, said Rongier, a native of France.

“Guests feel like they are in France when they eat one,” he said.

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Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania’s beloved 100-year-old amusement park still refuses to charge admission

Published

6 hours ago

June 5, 2026

Press Room

Pennsylvania’s beloved 100-year-old amusement park still refuses to charge admission

In an era of pricey theme parks and gated admission, one Pennsylvania amusement park is still letting guests in for free.

Knoebels Amusement Resort in Elysburg, Pennsylvania, has been admission-free since it opened nearly a century ago.

Knoebels opened its doors on July 4, 1926 — and will celebrate its 100th anniversary this year, as the nation celebrates America’s semiquincentennial.

Many of the earliest amusement parks in the late 19th and early 20th centuries operated without admission fees, especially so-called “trolley parks,” which made money from charging guests for rides, food and drink.

Park owner Brian Knoebel, 52, recently told PA Local he “had to pinky-swear” to never change the free-admission model.

“It’s who we are,” he said. “It’s that traditional park.”

Knoebel said he recognizes that grandparents “get more satisfaction out of watching their grandkids ride the rides than they do themselves.”

“And Grandma and Grandpa are on a limited income,” he said. “So they don’t pay to park. We don’t force you to buy food in the park — if you want to bring a picnic lunch, then bring a picnic lunch.”

Knoebel, who said his ancestors came to America from Germany and worked as lumberers, said the amusement park began as a modest venture.

“After church on Sunday, they’d come down and park their horse and buggy off to the side, and frolic in the stream and have a little picnic,” he told PA Local.

“My great-grandfather would feed and stable your horses for, I believe, a quarter.”

Knoebel added, “Little by little, he started building some picnic tables and park benches, and on July 4, 1926, we opened a swimming pool, a restaurant — appropriately named ‘The Restaurant’ — and we rented a steam-powered carousel.”

Despite the park’s growth, Knoebel said its old-fashioned atmosphere has remained intact, including the canopy of trees, shaded walkways, creekside seating and classic attractions.

“How has it changed? We started with one ride, and one food stand, and the pool,” he said.

“We now have 60 rides, I believe 38 food stands, 24 games, and water slides … Quarter-mile down the road, we own the 18-hole golf course, complete with a bar and tavern.”

Overall, Knoebel said that he and his family “absolutely know our brand.”

“We know our fans,” he said.

“And that throwback amusement park from yesteryear is exactly who we continue to be,” he added.

“We don’t have roller coasters that reach the clouds. We have rides for thrill seekers … but, of course, we have more traditional rides.”

Knoebels is the largest free-admission park in the United States. “Knoebels does not have a gate, and you only pay for what you want once you are at the park,” the venue says on its website.

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