Bird In Hand Family Restaurant & Smorgasbord

Went here for dinner for the second time in the past couple months. Not sure exactly why as the first time wasn’t a very good experience food-​wise but I guess we hoped it’d be better this time. As one would expect it was not.
Let’s start off with something positive… service. Absolutely no complaints about that but with it being buffet style, there wasn’t a whole lot of interaction. But to stay positive, the hostesses and waitresses are all nice.
Now to the important stuff. There is a wide variety of foods to choose from in the smörgåsbord. The only issue is, none of it is really that good. I enjoyed the fried chicken but even that is comparable to KFC, not really something you would rave about. The stuffing had no flavor and there was nothing else really worth mentioning. There was a number of things I didn’t enjoy, and that list was significantly longer than the things I did enjoy.
What makes it really difficult to handle is that it costs $ 20 per adult for the smörgåsbord, so for that type of money you want something enjoyable. I feel as though cutting down on the options and making the remaining better quality would be a vast improvement on the current situation. I did read a reviewer that mentioned to just skip the smörgåsbord and do the soup and salad which in hindsight would be the way to go here. But in all honesty, I’d just say go to another restaurant. I had Miller’s, which I felt was better, and Diener’s which was very good. It’s too bad because location wise Bird in Hand is in a prime spot but nothing is really that far to justify going back here on my end.

I went on a Sunday for breakfast. OMG what a disaster. It was just horrible. No buffet proper no shoo fly pie, no waitress. i was so unhappy. I paid upfront because I was asked to on a Sunday you must pay first. then I presented by coupon that I found online that gives a child a free buffet and the woman said it could not be honored on a Sunday even though nowhere on the coupon does it say that. I came here on a sunday cause I had the coupon. it was not honored so that is not fair. It should clearly state on the coupon that it is not honored on sunday. i went to eat and the scrambled eggs were the only eggs available. they were tasteless and nasty. No flavor or added taste. Just blah eggs scrambled in chunks. What the heck? nobody is paying attention. the little tater tots were hard and crunchy didn’t taste fresh and the whole thing was a disappointment. I will go to Lintia’s next time. I had gone to Lintia’s for lunch after that disappointing breakfast and they more than made up for it. I had the mint chocolate chip brownie and the greek chicken with fresh feta cheese and tomatoes and excellent spices which were so light and pleasant. Go to Lintia’s You won’t be sorry. Skip this place.

I am not a fan of buffets on general principle (low-​grade products, questionable sanitation, etc) but boy oh boy did Bird-​in-​Hand change my mind! I was in Lancaster today outlet shopping with my parents, and my dad has been here and wanted us to try it too. I am pretty sure I ate my weight today. Fresh breads, soups, salads, all kinds of hot entrees and a dessert bar. There was vegetable beef soup, potato soup and chicken corn chowder. Entrees were turkey and gravy, lasagna, ham balls with pineapple sauce (yeah, it was as weird as it sounds), baked ziti, turkey croquettes and broasted chicken (think Royal Farm but less crispy). There were various sides like mashed and new potatoes, Brussels sprouts, buttered noodles, cauliflower, green beans with and without ham and more. Desserts ranged from shoofly pie to hot cherry cobbler and an ice cream bar. Workers were steadly replenishing dishes, making sure that everything was fresh. And did I mention that this all-​you-​care-​to-​eat extravaganza was only $ 13.49 for lunch!!! The DBF and I will probably head to the outlets in Jan and I will be sure to get him here, but only if we don’t go on a Sunday since they are closed.

Came here for buffet breakfast. It was definitely cheap, but the food was ehhhhh. I feel like I was filling up on a lot of empty carbs. There was nothing that I can say was delicious. service was decent. price was cheap. But I would rather go somewhere else and have quality food.

We drove over 2 hrs just to eat baked ham loaf. My husband and i have been coming here for several years. It does get crowed here during weekends when buses come in.

This is as commercial Amish as you can get… and, while it is certainly a plentiful buffet, it is a lot of carbs that you could get at home. This isn’t what I’d hoped for. Tourist trap. Not worth $ 20.

The food at this establishment was okay … Edible. Our experience with the customer service was poor on a legendary level. One staff member, when asked to refill an item we were enjoying gave us a huge attitude because we were clearly causing her to work. The manager was very kind and ensured us that she would address the situation; however, the damage had been done at that point.
There are several larger smorgasbords in the area with larger selection and friendlier service. My recommendation would be to patronize these businesses and bypass the unpleasant experience you are likely to incur here.

Came here for dinner after a long drive and was staying at their hotel so dinner here was just convenient. Decided to go with their smörgåsbord option for $ 20 per adult children got to eat for free and it wasn’t a disappointment.
Their salad bar had plenty of options and so did their meat station also good amount of selection on the dessert bar as well. For smörgåsbord I was pleasantly surprised how could the food was everything was piping hot and well seasoned definitely got our moneys worth.
This place gets pretty busy with all the tourists and did have to wait about 30 minutes for my name to be called over a loudspeaker no big deal this place is pretty large and can handle a large amount of people the customer service was very friendly so no complaints there. If you’re staying in their hotel I would recommend having dinner here at least one night of your stay. Since there is a lot of Amish places to try in Lancaster.

Had the smörgåsbord for dinner and if was alright. Went back for breakfast and it was great. The staff was very helpful and friendly. Prices are very reasonable.

Sorry please disregard the review it wad meant for «Good N Plenty» restaurant. I was on the wrong page and can’t delete it.

Have been going for years and one of my most disappointing experiences. The staff was inattentive. Could have died of thirst waiting for a refill on a soda. When things were empty on the buffet it either took them forever to bring out fresh or they never bothered at all. Almost every piece of meat I had was dry and/​or tough. The potatoes were cold and tasteless as were the buttered noodles. I think the only thing I can think of that had any taste was maybe the carrot cake.

If your only criteria for a good meal is quantity, then this is your place. If you are looking for quality or cleanliness, then drive on. The only flavor that shone through in the food was that of salt. Don’t bother debating between the buffet and the menu items, because I’m pretty sure they just pull your menu food from the hot tables. The buffet area wasn’t maintained or cleaned. Food that had fallen into another container wasn’t cleaned out, nor were spills cleaned up.
And then there were the bathrooms. The women’s restroom was piled high with garbage, and no toilet paper in any of the stalls. My 5 year old walked into a stall with an out of order sign on it before I could stop her. The wall of the stall was smeared with blood. Yup, that happened. No one cleaned the bathrooms the whole time we were there.
The ONLY reason his place gets a star is that the service staff was very nice.
We won’t be back.

Absolutely delicious breakfast buffet. Small portions put out fresh. Would definitely return.

This is a great restaurant that has a lot of options. I ate here on Friday, 7÷3÷15 and really enjoyed it. I ate from the buffet which had lots of options as far as what to eat. Just as good as the amish buffets and they offer so much more in their buffet. There’s a bread bar, soup and salad bar, the main buffet, and a dessert bar. It’s all very affordable per person. And my mom ordered from their main menu as she doesn’t eat as much as my dad and I. I can’t wait to go back again!

Great restaurant. I’m not one to love a buffet. I tend to look at them as feeing troughs. However this place is great. All the food was fresh, hot and so very tasty. They even have a cute little mini buffet for kids. They have every dessert you can think of. Server was young and super friendly. We will go back! They also have a menu you can order from.

Had lunch here on Friday, 4÷3÷15. You can order from both the menu and the buffet. We chose to get the lunch buffet and were not disappointed. From the salad bar and soups to the hot entrees, everything was tasty and cooked to perfection. Plenty of selections to satisfy even the finicky eater. Very nice dessert bar and plenty of free refills on your drinks. Lots of room and can accommodate bus groups also. We love the area and this is a great place for both lunch or dinner. A small store inside selling gifts and souvenirs is a nice touch. All the staff are very friendly and accommodating.

Decided to give a 2^nd try based on more 4 star reviews I saw on Unilocal since last visit. Oh dear, it’s still bad. Items were barely stocked. Had to keep asking about fried chicken and noodles… c’mon folks customers shouldn’t have to ask for items to be replenished at a buffet! The roast beef had NO flavor used to be pretty good like pot roast now sits in some clear juice and just sliced not shredded… so that tells me their kitchen standards and practices have fallen… but not their prices! Rather take a couple bucks more and go to Shady Maple where items are constantly replenished and quality is much better.

I had an early dinner here with a group of about 50 people after a funeral. The inside of the restaurant is very large and probably holds over 200 people. It was a typical buffet. None of the food was above average but that’s the norm for this type of restaurant.

Service was wonderful
We all had the lunch smorgasboard. for $ 13 a person, really quite a deal.
The soups were all excellent.
The broasted chicken was excellent.
Squash casserole was excellent.
The pork and sauerkraut was the best pork n kraut ever I mean EVER.
Turkey pot pie, awesome.
However, I sometimes forget that in Amish country you need to beware the use of sugar and salt. I got some mac n cheese and was surprised how much sugar was in that mac n cheese. The fish? also had sugar in it.
Would I go again? Absolutely! Just make sure you try a bite of something before you take a pile of it. I felt bad about wasting some mac n cheese but I never met a mac n cheese that I didn’t like previously. The ham «ball» had both too much sugar AND too much salt.

My family and I visit whenever we’re in the Lancaster area. They have good, country style food and the prices are reasonable. Service has always been great, you get your food quickly, and the waitresses are always friendly. Also, the only shoofly pie my dad will eat!
The only thing I dislike is all of the rude tourists that this place seems to attract, but that can’t be held against them. Just prepare for zero manners from a lot of the other patrons!