Recently, we made a little day trip to Hamburg. We walked around the Reading Railroad Heritage Museum to see their new exhibits. Then we headed to Lazy Dog Vintage for some shopping. Eventually, we made our way to Cabela’s.
Normally, when we make a trip like this, we’d find our way to one of the many restaurants in Hamburg’s downtown, like Backwood Brothers, Copperz or 1787 Brewing. But on this trip, we decided to venture a few minutes north to an old favorite of us, the Port Clinton Hotel.
The Port Clinton Hotel is one of those “almost” Berks County restaurants. Located just a stone’s throw from the county line, Port Clinton is the first town you find in Schuylkill County when heading north on Route 61.
Locally, it’s best known for the Hotel and the neighboring Port Clinton Peanut Shop, a place to get fresh roasted peanuts, novelty candy, and chocolates.
It’s also home to the Reading and Northern Railroad, and before the railroad opened its station in Muhlenberg Township, it was the place to catch the weekend train to Jim Thorpe.
But the Hotel is the true anchor of the town – the gathering place for food and drinks. It remained so even after the front of the building was struck by a car in late 2022. The result was a new sign and a new front porch, but the interior remains unchanged, looking very much the same as it did when we first reviewed it in 2014. The bar area is still rustic with its wooden U-shaped bar that leaves little room for walking. The dining room is plain, decorated with signs and photos of Yuengling Brewery.
The menu is also very much the same as it was with large dinners, oversized sandwiches, and their famous baskets of French fries.
It’s so much the same that without thinking, Julie ordered the same thing – a cheesesteak wrap – that she did 11 years ago.
Looking at the photos of each, there was little difference between this and the last – both were stuffed to overflowing with steak meat and cheese. (Credit though for upgrading the fries from Lay’s to Good’s). A delicious and extremely hearty meal that was always going to see half of it go home as leftovers.
My chicken parm sandwich was just as large. Served on a whole 12-inch roll, it was stuffed with breaded chicken with slices of cheese and plenty of sauce. The sauce is on the sweeter side, which I remember from previous meals there. I ate half of it as a sandwich before skipping the roll for the second half. Not that the roll wasn’t good (we saw the boxes for ATV bakery stacked in the entryway), but there was just no way to finish the whole thing.
Jakob had a heaping helping of spaghetti from the kids’ menu. It was enough for an adult meal with two large meatballs on top. It had the same sweet sauce as the chicken parm, which Jakob got to enjoy more than once because more than half of it went home as leftovers.
We also couldn’t finish our French fry basket which had more than enough for our table. At $6 for the basket, it’s one of the best deals around.
In fact, our entire dinner was very reasonably priced at around $55 for all of our food and soft drinks. More accurately, our dinner and lunch the next day was reasonably priced because we didn’t have to think about what we would be having with the leftovers that came home with us.
While we don’t make the trip north too often, the Port Clinton Hotel remains a go-to spot for us when we do. And I look forward to more delicious meals.
BCE Rating
Food: Very Good
Service: Very Good
Ambiance: Good
Price: $$
Port Clinton Hotel
231 Centre Street
Port Clinton, PA 19549
Original Review: November 2014
Long before our region was defined by the railroad, our cities and towns were carved by canals.
The small hamlet of Port Clinton, located just a few miles north of Hamburg and just across the line into Schuylkill County (quite literally, the border of Port Clinton is the border for the county), was a canal town.
Businesses in the town grew around the waterway. Businesses like the Port Clinton Hotel, which served meals and rented rooms to the canal boat crews who passed through on their way to or from Reading.
Today, the Hotel still serves a unique clientele. In addition to the residents of neighboring communities and those just visiting on their way to Cabela’s, the Port Clinton Hotel is a go-to for hikers along the Appalachian Trail.
On the opposite side of the Schuylkill River, the trail descends from the mountains, hanging a right through Port Clinton before crossing over Route 61 and leaving civilization again on its ascent to Maine.
The proximity to the trail means the Port Clinton Hotel is a sort of right-of-passage for hikers. Perhaps this is why the Port Clinton Hotel is serving portions fit for someone who hasn’t eaten in days.
While I can appreciate those who dare to trek the trail, I favor the short drive over the long walk, so the only hiking I had to do was from the parking space to the back door.
Like many establishments that still have “hotel,” “tavern,” or “inn” in their names, the restaurant crams more seats into the dining room than would seem possible. Our party of six was placed in a side room, two four-person tables pushed together with just inches between our chairs and the wall.
The daily specials are found on a hand-written piece of paper in the center of the table, while drink specials are found on a dry erase board on the wall. The menu itself is extensive with pastas, dinner entrees, salads, and lots of fried foods and sandwiches.
As small as the dining area may feel, the portions seem just as gargantuan. On a previous trip, I had made the “mistake” of ordering an actual dinner: a chicken pot pie special served with a homemade roll. And because I was hungry, I started with a cup of chili. As it turns out, the “roll” was half a loaf of white bread, the pot pie could have probably filled four soup bowls, and I would have been satisfied with just the chili.
This time, I was more prepared, opting for a simple hot roast beef sandwich.
My sandwich was served floating in a reservoir of gravy with shreds of meat taking an evening swim. The top slice of bread bulged in the center as the pile of beef tried to force its way out the top.
The beef pulls apart, not like the slabs or slices you find at some diners. I managed to find a piece that wasn’t fully submerged and found it to be tender and moist. Even without the gravy, it would make a delicious sandwich.
Next to me, Julie was attacking a monster meal of her own. Her cheesesteak sandwich wrap was sliced in two, with each half being about the size of your average sandwich.
The wrap was simple—steak and cheese with a little bit of onion—but it was balanced perfectly. Like most of the sandwiches on the menu, the wrap came with side of potato chips, a bag of Lay’s placed right on the plate. With so much food already on the plate, there’s a good chance you’ll take the chips home anyway so it’s better to leave them in the bag.
Another reason to leave them in the bag is the Port Clinton Hotel’s famous French fries. The fresh cut fries are not available as a side order (except as part of a select few dinner combinations) so if you want them, be prepared to share.
With the large portions on the entrees, a small basket of fries is easily enough to satisfy a table of four (a large basket should probably be reserved for a small family reunion).
But when it comes to the Port Clinton Hotel, it’s not just quantity. It’s quality. Many restaurants offer their foods in big portions, but the food at Port Clinton is so good that you can’t help but try to finish it.
Four our two sandwiches and fries, our total bill came to around $30, a steal for such good food—and for so much of it.
The canal is gone, but the hotel remains, still serving great food to everyone who passes through the town, no matter how they arrive.
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