What If West

Sat at the bar… Beautiful stained glass and lighting. So happy they have gluten free products… Ordered a personal pizza and and a dirty martini. So often gluten items taste like cardboard but not here. The pizza was loaded with cheese and sausage and the sauce was excellent. After a while ordered a Montrachet salad featuring root vegetables and pistachio crusted cheese… Excellent. I might add that the bartender, Shaun did a great job!
It would say it was a nice evening except there was this one guy who drank waaayyy too much therefore, I had to cut the night short.
I will visit again if Terry isn’t there.

This place does not look like a place that should be associated with a bowling alley & arcade, but there it sits next to one. It’s fun, funky style blends perfectly with its unique drink and food menu. It’s a bit pricey for the area, but portion sizes are decent and there is a lot of variety. The food is delicious & we had awesome service!

In the sports bar. Can’t get the happy hour special three feet away from the bar because I have a child. The service is poor and not as engaged as could be. The food is good but the overall experience is poor. Remember the tables right around the bar do not count for happy hour. Crap!

I was lucky enough to eat here right after they first open!
My boyfriend and I weren’t very hungry so we just ordered appetizers and drinks but they were all fantastic!
We split the macaroni and cheese and another dish we also got cocktails and I remember the bill being reasonably priced!
What if is definitely on our list for our next date night!
It’s fun being able to have a nice dinner and then go to the coliseum and spend some time playing air hockey Or vice versa!

Tonight I had rib appetizer, sea scallops stuffed with crab for dinner and the turtle brownie for dessert. Yes, I went all in! The waitress was very attentive and patient. The food was awesome sauce! I didnt give 5 stars because the lighting isnt very adequate. I kept wondering if i should have move to a different table but I didnt think it would matter. More lighting please :) (and thank you).

Well I can only say this place is the most over priced eatery I have ever been in…
The waitress fist brought our salad and serves it not providing silverware and napkin to eat it… waited some time till she came back and the told her we needed silverware, she then brought two sets of silver to serve three people.
We then asked for more bread (not very Good I might add) she returned and dumped the new bread onto the existing bread plate.
I was sharing an entrée with another person no plate was supplied for this purpose rude.
We ordered an eggplant appetizer presentation was nice eggplant was a tough as shoe leather and taste left a lot to be desired.
My partner ordered a special fillet mignon with crab meat which tasty
But WOW for $ 40 it should of put on a floor show…
My grand daughters steak was over cooked even though it was ordered med well…
I think most of these reviews are written by management, no table cloths, poor service and prices that are only expected in a first class restaurant, Oh did I mention they also have no rest rooms you have to go over to the arcade to use theirs… Wow never again … the reviews do not reflect how bad this place is…

Sat at the bar for takeout… It was not crowded and service was attentive. We had 2 different types of wings, insalata pizza and the cheese plate. Food was great and reasonably priced for the quality. We will be back. The only thing I might ask is that they poke holes in the to-​go containers to avoid excess steam moisture. Food was hot, fresh and delicious when we got home.

Damn. I really wanted to love this place. I ordered takeout, and all of the staff were super nice and accommodating. Made me excited to try the food. Then I opened it all up and it wasn’t what I thought I ordered. My heart sank.
Might have been my fault, but I thought I asked for the Mini Burger Trio and instead got the soup, salad, and single mini burger meal (whyyyy is this even a meal?).
Gave it a shot anyway. Salad was mostly fresh, and my one little burger was well-​seasoned. The chili, however, was terrible. The meat had a strange grainy texture and when I took a whiff of it, it smelled like something old that had been sitting around in a container for too long.
I’ll try them again sometime, for dinner instead perhaps.

Food was really good there.
I got the crab Alfredo and it was delicious. Lots of lump crab meat. Good flavored sauce, though thinner than the Alfredo I’m used to. I would get it again.
The special veal chop was delicious and creative. Sweet jam sauce was a good parking. Big lamb chop portion.
Everyone enjoyed the meal.
The service was pretty good too.
The only things I didn’t like was 1) getting 3 menus to share between 5 people and 2) a fly ended up on my beer and we told the waiter who was nice and brought me a replacement. The only problem was, the second beer also had a fly. My guess is they just filled my beer glass back up so it looked full and forgot to take the fly out. Pretty rude.

We were SO happy when our favorite restaurant came to the West Shore! We were first introduced to the Hershey location a few years ago by some local foodies with culinary backgrounds. What If became our favorite restaurant from that point on. The culinary offerings make you feel as though you left good ol’ Central PA.
The appetizers/​small plates are so great, that often times we share several as a meal. Highlights of the menu (so many!) would have to be: our favorite apps the bruschetta (not your typical Italian bruschetta– instead, a variety of delicious spreads & toppings, like olive tapenade – yum!, seafood salad, roasted peppers served with toast points), the seared Ahi Tuna, Eggplant Napoleon, & their unlisted appetizer that they always have: a Southwest shrimp cocktail with tortilla chips.
Highlighted entrees would include: lobster ravioli (presentation is beautiful!), crab alfredo (HUGE chunks of claw meat, just like the crab dip appetizer– truly decadent!), chicken marsala, any of their fresh salmon specials, chicken milanese… you really can’t go wrong with any of them.
The wine menu is priced extremely fairly– very little markup on their wines, which is virtually unheard of in the industry. Cocktails are always fantastic & the talented bartenders are always hard at work to create new drinks. Any of the special in-​house infused vodkas are great (ie: anything from pineapple to Swedish fish!). Their chocolate martini is a dream, & my husband loves the way they make an Old Fashioned.
The staff is fantastic– from the owners to the very knowledgeable & professional serving team. As a former server myself, I appreciate a staff that knows their menu, their wine/​drink pairings, & maintains a good balance of checking in & giving distance while eating.
We had our wedding catered by What If back in November, & we couldn’t have been happier with the outcome. The staff embraced & was very excited by our 1950’s diner theme, & they pulled out all the bells & whistles for us at an extremely reasonable price for a catered event. Our guests were so impressed & we still get comments from family & friends about how great the food & drinks were!
My husband & I really can’t say enough wonderful things about this place. It is such a refreshing breath of fresh air for the area’s restaurant scene. Is it more expensive than many restaurants in the area? Sure, but for the quality that you receive, it is unmatched. Anyone who loves sophisticated flavor would surely agree, hands down. It is not a fast-​paced burger joint nor is it a country fried steak & meatloaf joint. But if you are looking for a great night out on the West Shore, What If West is where you want to be.

I’ve been here a few times. The salmon was pretty good. The crab and cheese dip in the bread bowl is AWESOME! Service is good there as well. I only gave 3 stars because I don’t like the location. Being inside that arcade is just kinda whack if you ask me. It’s just kinda weird to have to see riff raff and kids and people coming and going from that arcade… Not my thing. But being that there are so few good restaurants in this area, it’s better than a lot of nasty places in this area of PA.

We chose What If West for our Valentines night meal due to its proximity to our home, weather was crappy so we didnt want to go far. I liked the place immediately upon entering. It had a very hip vibe, nicely decorated and even our tiny little table was very quaint. We had a 7 o’clock reservation and were seated immediately. I like it when patrons make a little effort to look nice when going out and this was the case here, no sloppy jeans or camo hats. Ambience was nice. We had the crab dip as our appetizer which was fresh and delicious and crab meat was plentiful. I chose the Chilean Sea Bass for an entrée which I found to be delicious. Sides were wild rice and asparagus, thumbs up to all as they were all piping hot and flavorful. I got a specialty drink, don’t remember name but they did not skimp on the liquor. While I am not a food connoisseur I am pretty hard to please and I must say we enjoyed our entire experience here including our server! He was wonderful. If I must critique one thing it would be the restroom location! You must leave the restaurant and enter the sports entertainment complex which is attached. I thought that was weird. No five star for that reason. Prices are not cheap but I thought it was worth it, we have paid more and not been as satisfied. We plan to be back for happy hour!

Went here for the first time on NYE. Party of 8. It was overall a lot of fun. I like the ambience inside. It was a little loud but I don’t mind. I had filet and it was perfect. I recommend the crab dip. They certainly don’t skimp on the lump crab meat. Also the Grapefruit Martini was smooth and tasty. I took a star off for the extremely slow service but it was NYE so I will try them again and adjust my rating accordingly. Pb pie is great too!

Had a reservation for 2 at 7pm and did not get sat until 7:40pm. Why offer reservation seating if it isn’t available? A table was ready at 7:20 and no one cleaned it for us, we had to go tell a waiter that we were waiting for our reservation (which the hostess was aware of). The food was great, 5 stars on preparation and quality. However, the service was slow. Took a long time for drinks, dessert, and our check. Total was 3 hours spent in a pretty noisy environment. Definitely over priced for the ambiance and service. Will go back for bar service and to try happy hour. Probably not again for dinner.

We ended up here with our party of 8 last night because everything else was closed, but it was a happy accident! Food was yummy, and because I was out with the old folks, we were eating at happy hour (half price for select appetizers, and drinks!). Entrees were pricey but our app meal was very reasonable. Had the pizza insalata (pizza, roasted red peppers, arugula salad on top, balsamic…), arrancini (fried risotto balls), and crab cake apps. All very good. My moscow mule was ok to drink, as well. They claimed it was made with freeze squeezed lime juice, but I must beg to differ.
I’ll be back for the deals!

This was our groups first time and last time here. The place is noisy and linked to an arcade, but that is not the problem, it is the food. We hit happy hour, 5 — 7 and the beer selection and price was good. Service was fine and helpful although ours was a little loud probably due to the poor bowling alley like acoustics. I had a salad and upgraded $ 4.50 to a specialty salad. The extra $ 4.50 was not worth it. I asked for the pork belly appetizer as a main course portion and at $ 17.95 the portion was very small. Entrees come with rice or mash, and veg. du jour. I had mash which came a couple of minutes after my entrée. My veg did not show and so I had to ask. When it got to the table I had finished my pork and potatoes. Pork belly is usually crispy skin and fat with soft meat from slow cooking. There was no crispy skin or fat. It was in a sweet sauce which was OK.
My friend’s pasta dish presentation was very poor. The Lobster ravioli was missing lobster. The pizza looked a little dry to me. Overall the prices are a little high for what you get.
There was along wait between our salad and main course. The place was not all that busy so not sure why the food took so long. It may have been an off night, but if it is usually the house acknowledge this and gives a free dessert or takes a bit off, but this was not offered so perhaps this is how they operate every night. We won’t be back.

After being open less than a month, this location matched the What If Café (north 6^th St. in Harrisburg) in it’s heyday, before both food and service there collapsed, which from us, former regulars there, is high praise.
Food and service were top notch, even with the room filled to capacity. We (two of us) shared a solid bruschetta appetizer, and a nice reasonably priced Riesling. Entrees were lobster ravioli, even better than the excellent dish they used to serve in Harrisburg, and a prepared exactly right encrusted rockfish special. Desert was a funny-​shaped (cylindrical) but right-​on New York cheesecake.
We got there, without reservations, at 6:15 p.m. and were lucky to be seated immediately, but we’ll be sure to get reservations in advance in the future.