Character’s Pub

This was my first time dining here in many years. The staff seemed friendly and we were seated promptly. It was a Thursday night but the restaurant section was quite empty, with the exception of a large party of really loud, drunk people. The acoustics of the place allow for their loudness to really echo around to the point where we could barely hear what my wife an I were saying. Besides that, it was good. The food was really good, but the wine was very limited, but still good. I’d also suggest some better mood lighting in the dining area. The spot lights over the tables are a bit overwhelming.

Always a treat to find a ‘hidden gem’ when traveling (completely appreciating it may not be hidden for locals!), and this is one for sure. The bartender’s willingness to make my ‘one-​off’ cocktail (Boulevardier) was genuine, and we had a great chat. The food – from the bread to the dessert – was extraordinary. Each dish represented the concept beautifully, both in presentation and flavor.
My only ‘criticism’ is the layout of the restaurant. The open kitchen only makes sense (to me) when it’s incorporated into the dining area. In this case, it’s just.there. And a bit noisy. Probably not even a consideration unless you sit at the end of the bar where I was, but they may as well put up a wall!

The short: excellent food in a chill atmosphere, nice tuckaway spot that you have to be a local to find easily.
Details:
Unilocal once again came through on this one.
Location: hard to find, and GPS got us close but not to the door. A quick call and the bartender stayed on the phone until we pulled in and he said «I see your white van.» Very cool.
Service: outstanding, attentive but not overbearing. One person came out to describe specials, and server could concentrate on orders without pushing the specials down our throat. Drinks were never empty, food came out well timed.
Food: Holy Lord it was good. My wife had a crab crusted salmon with a bearnaise sauce. I took a bite and it literally melted away. The salmon was just cooked through and flaky, but not overdone. Just enough crab, and the sauce… heyzeus!!! Bangin.
I had a petite filet, Pittsburgh style, medium rare. A perfect round of garlic butter and herbs. If I was going to put any critique in, maybe a pinch of salt on top to bring it all together.
I’m not a drinker, so no advice there, except to say the bartender was very friendly and from what I could here, he was describing numerous drinks with precision.
Great spot. Go there. Order from the specials. They really put love into them.

This little gem can be a bit hard to find but it’s worth the search. I had a great lunch with excellent French onion soup.
The wings are in fact some of the best anywhere
Comfortable setting with a great staff
I highly recommend it.

This place has a smaller menu, but everything that I’ve had on it is very tasty. The wings are good, plus the lunch specials are hard to beat. The only downside is the slow service. I’ve been here three times and waited a long time for food each time, with different sized parties. There’s an enclosed porch that’s very enjoyable during the warmer weather.

I’ve not seen much better service anywhere than Characters. All especially the server were friendly and attentive. Not a common thing in Lancaster (except Yuzu has great service too!). The bread they served was exceptional, said it was from New Jersey and not available retail. I could have just drank wine and their jersey bread and would have made it a night.
Salad w balsamic dressing was fresh and a variety of veggies.
I was looking forward to trying the local grass fed burger. Taste was great but should have been hotter. The bun was not up to par, I’ll ask to serve on their jersey bread next time. And I will be back!
They offer Carmen & David’s ice cream which is always great.

Second time here and were able to fit the 4 of us in during the Valentine dinner rush. My wife said chocolate wings were possibly the best wings she ever ate. Ordered more wings for dinner (½ buffalo & sweet habanero) which were phenomenal. My wife had the chicken which was also amazing. Drinks were great as always and friends had the fillet which was amazing too. LOVE eating at local places and thankful for another great Lancaster City restaurant. Will be back soon!!!

Took the girlfriend out for Valentines dinner to the city for something different, had a tough time finding the place, but seemed nice until they put us out on the covered patio for the coldest night of the year so far. The hostess said to keep our jackets with because it was cold. Being 5 o’clock and first ones in there to eat I kind of expected it. Ordered the pasta at mrkt price, and girlfriend got the half chicken and risotto. The fish on the pasta was good and the chicken was very good, but the pasta with the fish was extremely bland, and the risotto was far too salty and grainy. We switched plates to try and appease each other’s taste buds but we found ourselves putting the food in to go boxes to bring home and fix up. We were the first ones in there and it wasn’t busy, both plates are from the regular menu. If you’re ordering $ 25 plates and switching with someone a few bites in and taking it home to fix up it wasn’t worth the money. Plus freezing while trying to eat just led to us going home and throwing the leftovers away. Just not worth it!

Solid. Good soup. Good salad. Friendly staff. I enjoyed my meal, but there is nothing particularly special about this establishment. Then again, I’m in Lancaster, PA so I’m not sure what I was expecting.

6 of us crawled in this spot on a sleepy Monday night. Service was slow. Really slow. Food was good but not great. Crab cakes looked good but that guy shouted out 2.5 stars. Two guys got burgers, both were underwhelmed. Fish tacos may have been the high point. They offered two when 3 might have been more reasonable. Prices were as expected. It was Monday night, and it was supposed to be wing night. They had none. I can’t say we would come back. After much conversation we decided we should have gone to the Himalayan spot.

Crab cake was great. So was my son’s grill cheese and applesauce. I liked the atmosphere. The rest of the food was good, not great, which included the calamari and flat iron steak. I’d go back for that crab cake though.

Food is pretty good here and nice atmosphere. I was a little disappointed that my service was extremely slow. I also had taken notice that it seems like they cater to just the regulars and give «okay» service to the «newbies.»

Had the joy of drinking a Moscow Mule with Vodka, Roses Lime and Ginger Ale.
Must. Train. Bar Tenders.

Was going to the italian bakery ndiscovered this place, Just tried their draft beers and apps. Both very good and reasonably priced. Very nice atmosphere and friendly service

We love Characters, it’s one of our favorite places in Lancaster! The food is great, their service is decent, and the overall atmosphere is enjoyable.
We have been here for regular nights and holidays (most recently NYE), and they never disappoint. I typically order the Reuben or the Rachel. We have tried several of their appetizers (duck spring rolls are a favorite). Their wings are particularly good too. They also usually have decent draft beer options.

Characters Pub is on of our favorite Lancaster restaurants. Their crab cakes are the best in Lancaster. I had the salmon last Saturday night and it was perfectly cooked.
The atmosphere is a classy-​casual in a small pub setting. The bar area is lively and quaint. We can highly recommend Characters while visiting Lancaster.

Characters has always been my go to restaurant downtown, always loved the food & atmosphere, until tonight… made a reservation for 6:30 to have dinner with a friend that was visiting from Portland, Oregon. Food & drinks were great. About an hour & a half later we were asked by our waiter to «wrap it up» because there was a reservation waiting for our table. I have never been so disappointed in a place that I frequented before. I’m very sad to say that I will not EVER go back there again. It was so humiliating & rude to basically be kicked out of a place that I refer people all the time!!! I truly hope this never happens to anyone else that frequents this establishment. So long Characters, it’s been real

Won a gift card thanks to a raffle for one of Lancaster’s pet rescues and thought we’d put it to use. I had the open-​face steak sandwich. It was tasty, but I really thought $ 15 was an excessive price. The fries were kind of blah.
But let me tell you about their wings. Holy moly, they were incredible. We were a little concerned when we saw there were only 3-​flavors of sauce because we like to try different things. However, no worries, their buffalo sauce was the bomb. The wings were a nice size and cooked to a crispy-​on-​the-​outside, juicy-​on-​the-​inside perfection. The sauce had a great kick to it and we declared them among our favorite wings EHvah.
Kudos to our bartender Guy. He was awesome and made our visit a lot of fun.

Duck Pear Salad was a steal during Restaurant week. Nice in spicy during a 3 day rain weekend.
And before that my always customary French Onion check. Always have to try a places French Onion soup. And they didn’t disappoint.
Going to come back on Monday for $ 10 dollar all you can eat Buffalo Wings. I won’t bring the date for that. «Besides who goes out on Mondays»

I’m in love with this place.
This is the kind of place you want to become a regular. Their beers rotate, a lot, they have great service, and I’ve enjoyed the food I have gotten here.
First trip, it was a little dead early on Saturday afternoon for lunch. The atmosphere was still cozy and the service was amazing. We enjoyed a roasted turkey sandwich with avocado — so good — and the daily special — roasted tomato/​red pepper soup and grilled cheese. Both were good enough to make us want to keep coming back.
For dinner, we came and had some beers and wine. A carafe of wine at 9 dollars is a great price! We really enjoyed the pretzels and beer cheese — they are the best in the area. You’d have to drive quite awhile to find better (it’s out there, but when I get the craving, I know where to come now). We had a dinner speciality that was creative and yummy. Love that they change and have such variety.
Parking can be found in a nearby lot, but I like to park on Duke and walk over.
A new favorite in Lancaster for me!