Foooood....

Am vacationing in Harrisburg soon and am looking for places to eat.

Me likes:

Italian (old school, not fancy or $$$)

BBQ

Local cuisine (cheese steak, etc.)

Dives

Looking for places with character and good food (mom and pop joints). Not the mini-mall type of corporate stuff - got way too much of that here in SoCal.

any suggestions will be greatly appreciated!

Foooood....

Not sure what areas of Harrisburg you will be visiting but I%26#39;d recommend Da Pits Chicago Grill at 2101 North Second Street, Harrisburg. If you like Mexican, I%26#39;d also recommend El Rodeo, 4659 Jonestown Road, Harrisburg.

Foooood....

thanks Eagle

We%26#39;ll be staying a couple nights on Eisenhower (HoJo).

Are those places somewhat close?

I echo Da Pits for BBQ though its in mid-town Harrisburg and you won%26#39;t be staying near there.

For Italian you might want to try Salvatore%26#39;s which is close to where you are staying at 955 Eisenhower Blvd.

Alternatively, I highly recommend Gabriella%26#39;s Italian Ristorante, 3907 Jonestown Road, Harrisburg. (Jonestown Rd. is also Rt. 22). This is about 5-10 mins from where you are staying if traffic is lite.

I%26#39;ll drive anywhere for BBQ

thanks for the tips IPA

A great spot for lunch near your hotel would be Cafe Fresco at 3352 Paxton Street, Harrisburg - across from the Harrisburg Mall. Although I wouldn%26#39;t say it is ';a dive,'; and it unfortunately isn%26#39;t real close to your hotel, there is The Glass Lounge at 4745 North Front Street - it is pretty much a blue collar bar with exceptional food. On a side note, some great places for ice cream near your hotel are 3B Ice Cream at 4701 Derry Street or Ice Cream Heaven at 5890 Derry Street.

You may have better luck posting on the Where Should I Eat? Forum www.roadfood.com/Forums/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=20 at www.roadfood.com and on the Pennsylvania Forum http://www.chowhound.com/boards/15 at www.chowhound.com .

Italian - we like Sammy%26#39;s, downtown Harrisburg, BYOB, probably need reservations

I agree DaPits for BBQ

Dive - on Paxton Street, not far from your hotel - Underdog Cafe