Pennsylvania has mountains, rivers, waterfalls, lake shores, and city skylines, and some of the state’s best restaurants have figured out exactly how to use them. A well-placed window or a rooftop deck can turn an ordinary Tuesday dinner into something you talk about for weeks.
The eleven restaurants on this list each offer a genuine scenic element, whether that means sitting beside a rushing waterfall in the Poconos, watching the Pittsburgh skyline reflect across three rivers, or looking out over the Lehigh Valley from a hilltop deck. Some of these spots are fine dining destinations with serious menus to match the views, while others keep things casual and let the scenery do most of the heavy lifting.
A few of them are so uniquely situated that the building itself becomes part of the attraction. Read on, because at least one of these places is going to make you want to book a table before you reach the end of the list.
Altius, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Mount Washington has been one of Pittsburgh’s most famous vantage points for generations, and Altius has made it the centerpiece of its entire identity. The restaurant sits at 1230 Grandview Avenue, and its floor-to-ceiling windows frame the Monongahela, Allegheny, and Ohio rivers along with the city’s bridges and downtown towers.
The name “Altius” is Latin for “higher,” which sets expectations pretty clearly from the start. Executive Chef Jessica Bauer runs a menu built around locally sourced, seasonal ingredients, with dishes ranging from chilled oysters and steak tartare to Australian lamb shank and zucchini blossom risotto.
Every meal begins with complimentary savory popcorn, with the flavor rotating daily.
Altius earned the AAA Four Diamond Rating in 2016 and has appeared on OpenTable’s Top 100 Restaurants in America list. The two-story layout is designed so that sightlines are maximized from nearly every seat.
If you can only visit one rooftop-style restaurant in Pittsburgh, this is the one that tends to win the argument.
glass – wine. bar. kitchen, Hawley, Pennsylvania
Not many restaurants can claim a cascading waterfall as a permanent fixture of the dining room view, but glass in Hawley pulls it off without even trying too hard. The restaurant sits inside Ledges Hotel, which was built into the cliffs directly above Paupack High Falls and the rocky Wallenpaupack Creek gorge.
The building itself has a fascinating backstory. It was originally the O’Connor Glass Factory, constructed from hand-cut bluestone in 1890 and once one of the largest glass-cutting operations in the country.
Architects Bohlin Cywinski Jackson handled the adaptive reuse, preserving the industrial character while adding panoramic windows and multi-level outdoor decks that make the waterfall nearly impossible to ignore.
The menu focuses on small plates designed for sharing, with locally sourced ingredients rotating seasonally. Options range from Pennsylvania pierogies and French onion soup bites to hanger steak, lamb chops, and pan-roasted salmon.
The waterfall view stays compelling year-round, whether it is running full in summer or partially frozen in winter. Reservations are suggested daily.
Roadies Restaurant and Bar, Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania
On a clear day at Penn’s Peak, the view from Roadies stretches up to 50 miles across the Pocono foothills, the Appalachian ridgeline, and Beltzville Lake. That kind of panorama tends to make people linger over their meals longer than planned, which is not a bad problem to have.
The restaurant started life as part of Rambler’s Ranch, a country music venue that opened in 1998. After changing hands in 2003, the property was rebranded as Penn’s Peak and the restaurant became Roadies, with a rock-and-roll theme that fits naturally inside a working concert hall.
The venue can hold up to 1,800 concertgoers, so Roadies is frequently busy on show nights.
The menu keeps things approachable, with loaded pierogies, chicken wings in ten flavors, burgers, steaks, and seafood options like shrimp scampi and crispy fried shrimp. Vegan choices are also available.
The outdoor deck is the prime spot when weather cooperates, and fall visits are particularly rewarding when the surrounding foliage turns. Reservations are strongly recommended on event nights.
Allegheny Grille, Foxburg, Pennsylvania
In 2021, VisitPA named the Allegheny Grille the number one waterfront restaurant in Pennsylvania, which is a bold claim for a restaurant in a borough most people have never heard of. Foxburg is a small riverside community in Clarion County, and the grille sits at 40 Main Street with outdoor patio tables positioned right at the water’s edge.
The building was designed to resemble a National Park Lodge, featuring massive timber frames and a riverside orientation that required oversized foundations due to floodplain engineering requirements. The restaurant is now operated by two local families and includes an in-house microbrewery alongside the main dining room and bar.
The menu centers on American cuisine using fresh cuts from local butchers and seasonal vegetables, with highlights including the Allegheny Burger, NY Strip Steak, blackened cod, and braised short ribs. Passing boats and the wooded riverbanks create a backdrop that changes throughout the day.
Foxburg also offers a golf course, the American Golf Hall of Fame, bicycle trails, and pontoon boat rides for visitors who want to extend the trip.
Oliver’s Rooftop, Erie, Pennsylvania
Eight floors above Erie’s bayfront, Oliver’s Rooftop opened on December 1, 2020, and immediately started collecting awards. By the end of its first full year, it had won Best New Restaurant, Best Romantic Restaurant, and Best Waterfront Dining from Erie’s local awards programs, which is a strong debut by any measure.
The restaurant is named after Oliver Hazard Perry, the naval commodore who won the 1813 Battle of Lake Erie, and the US Brig Niagara, his 110-foot flagship, is often visible from the dining room, moored just below. A retractable glass wall opens the restaurant to the bayfront air in good weather, and the floor-to-ceiling panels ensure the view remains front and center regardless of season.
Executive Chef Rick Pohlman leads a seafood-forward menu featuring his signature Lobster Pasta, a recipe refined over 20 years, alongside a Famous Seafood Medley, Parmesan Herb-Crusted Walleye, and Filet Mignon. Sunday brunch runs from 10 AM to 2 PM.
Reservations are recommended, especially for seats with direct bay views.
Two45 Waterfront Grille, Erie, Pennsylvania
Two45 Waterfront Grille takes a different approach to Erie’s bayfront than Oliver’s Rooftop does. Rather than going up, it goes wide, with expansive floor-to-ceiling windows and one of the largest bayfront patios in the area spread out at water level inside the Sheraton Erie Bayfront Hotel at 55 West Bay Drive.
The interior design pays tribute to Oliver Hazard Perry’s 1813 naval victory, incorporating reclaimed wood, navy-blue accents, and maritime artwork throughout the dining room. Heated outdoor igloos are available seasonally from January through early spring for guests who want panoramic bay views without the cold air.
The menu highlights handcrafted seafood, premium steaks, and coastal-influenced American classics. Chef specialties include Macadamia-Nut Crusted Grouper Filet, a Bone-in Tomahawk Pork Chop, and Atlantic Salmon, alongside starters like Crab Croquettes, Wagyu Meatballs, and Burrata Cheese.
Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch are all served. Private dining rooms are available for events, and complimentary parking is provided with validation through the connected garage.
Penn’s Tavern | Historical Waterfront Restaurant, Sunbury, Pennsylvania
The stone walls of Penn’s Tavern have been standing since somewhere between 1820 and 1830, which makes it one of the older dining rooms in Pennsylvania. The building at 113 River Road in Fishers Ferry has served as a hotel, ferry house, post office, and railroad station over the centuries before settling into its current role as a waterfront restaurant beside the Susquehanna River.
Guests can choose between the historic 1700s Room, with its stone fireplace, wood-beamed ceiling, and antique barrels, or the outdoor deck, where the broad river and surrounding landscape provide the backdrop. The deck is dog-friendly and even keeps bowls and treats on hand for four-legged visitors.
The menu blends American pub staples with seasonal German specialties, including Jägerschnitzel, Wiener Schnitzel, and Sauerbraten served with house-made Spätzle. Seafood options include lobster ravioli, baked cod with crab risotto, and a colossal seafood broil.
Sunday specials feature Pennsylvania Dutch Chicken and Waffles and slow-roasted beef. Reservations are recommended on Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday evenings due to consistent popularity.
Moshulu, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Most restaurants have a building. Moshulu has a ship.
The restaurant operates aboard a historic four-masted barque permanently docked at Penn’s Landing on the Delaware River, making it one of the most structurally unusual dining destinations in the entire country, not just Pennsylvania.
The vessel was built in Scotland in 1904, originally christened “Kurt,” and once held the title of fastest cargo ship in the world. First Lady Edith Wilson renamed it “Moshulu,” meaning “one who fears not” in a Native American language, after the US seized it during World War I.
The ship later appeared in films including The Godfather Part II and Rocky, and its masts reach 21 stories high. A major renovation was completed in late 2019.
Executive Chef Joe Ranakoski runs a contemporary American menu featuring steaks, seafood, and sushi served a la carte. Highlights include a Shellfish Tower, Lobster Macaroni and Cheese, 16oz Prime Ribeye, and Day Boat Scallops.
The Sunday Jazz Brunch Buffet offers over 45 items including a raw bar. The open-air decks provide views of the Delaware River and the Philadelphia skyline simultaneously.
Jean-Georges Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Getting to Jean-Georges Philadelphia is already an event before the meal even starts. Guests ride a fully glass express elevator up to the 60th-floor lobby of the Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia at Comcast Center, Philadelphia’s tallest building, before descending via a waterfall-encased staircase to the 59th-floor dining room.
The 40-foot floor-to-ceiling windows provide a 360-degree view of the city skyline, and mirrors integrated into the ceiling reflect the changing light as evening arrives. Architect Norman Foster and artistic director Jeff Leatham designed the space with the explicit goal of bringing the outside in, and the result is a room where the city itself functions as part of the decor.
Michelin-starred Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten presents a six-course tasting menu alongside an a la carte selection, with dishes built around seasonal regional ingredients and classic French techniques. Signature plates include Egg Toast and Caviar with Herbs, Sesame Crusted Salmon, and Snake River Farm Wagyu Striploin.
The dress code leans formal, and reservations are recommended well in advance for this one.
The Millworks, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
The Millworks is not a typical restaurant by any definition. The complex at 340 Verbeke Street in Harrisburg’s Midtown neighborhood combines a 180-seat restaurant, an on-site brewery, three art galleries, 17 artist studios, an open courtyard, and a 165-seat seasonal rooftop biergarten, all housed inside a former 1930s industrial building called Stokes Millwork.
Owner Josh Kesler opened the restaurant and art gallery in March 2015, adding the brewery in 2016. Guests on the rooftop can watch Harrisburg spread out below while artists work in studios visible from the floors beneath.
The reclaimed timber and original brick of the building give the entire space a character that newer construction rarely achieves.
The kitchen operates on a from-scratch philosophy using Central Pennsylvania growers, with a seasonally rotating menu that includes wood-fired pizzas, grass-fed beef burgers, Brisket Pierogies, Korean BBQ Short Ribs, and Crab Cakes. The rooftop biergarten is self-seating and does not require reservations, though the main restaurant does.
Rooftop movie screenings and live music events are hosted throughout the warmer months.
The View at Morgan Hill, Easton, Pennsylvania
A restaurant called The View at Morgan Hill has a lot to live up to, and the location at 100 Clubhouse Drive above Easton earns the name without much argument. The outdoor deck looks out over the Lehigh Valley, the Delaware River, and the Easton skyline, with the golf course below adding dramatic elevation changes to the foreground of the panorama.
The venue covers a wide range of occasions, from casual weeknight dinners to weddings in the Grand View Room, a ballroom with floor-to-ceiling windows that accommodates up to 150 guests. Live entertainment is scheduled on Wednesday and Friday nights, and Sunday brunch is offered a la carte.
The team uses golf cart rides around the grounds for wedding photography, which gives a sense of how seriously they take the surrounding scenery.
The menu features Grilled Atlantic Salmon, Filet Mignon, Stuffed Chicken Breast with wild rice and garlic mashed potatoes, and a Poutine Burger, alongside starters like Pan Potato Pierogies and Cheesesteak Egg Rolls. The Chocolate Lava Cake is the dessert to order.
Reservations are recommended, particularly for weekends.
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