State College Cafés You Need to Try

Pennsylvania’s Lancaster County’s Amish community has a roaring 30,000 people, not only the largest community, but also the oldest in the U.S. Many of these communities travel into State College for seasonal farmer’s markets.  However, one has made a permanent mark in the form of a delightful breakfast-lunch-and-everything-in-between restaurant. My sweet, sweet Sower’s Harvest Café is located in the same plaza as the similarly beloved Insomnia Cookies and D.P Dough.  

Unlike Insomnia Cookies and D.P Dough, however, you can taste the freshness in Sower’s food. The dairy products are all made locally, whether that be milk from Meyer Dairy, coffee from Standing Stone, or eggs from their own farm. Sower’s Harvest Cafe strives to “…procure and produce cuisine that is not only good for your body, but also has a positive impact on the grower and environment.” This is apparent in their commitment to locally and ethically sourced produce. I have never had a bad thing on their menu and trust me, I’ve been around. Consistently, however, I always end up ordering the OG veggie pesto omelet.  A warm pocket of homemade pesto and sautéed vegetables… I can’t resist. As the cherry on top of literally anything you order, their lattes are insane. Plus, they’re super pretty. Now, these lattes aren’t any ol’ lattes, these are special. They are more like caffeinated cocktail concoctions. The Honey Almond Biscotti Latte and the Maca Cocoa Jade Matcha are two of my favorites.  

Parent’s weekend was a time where many of us scrambled to find a place to take our families to eat. My parents live five minutes away from my dorm room and they treat every weekend like an (unsolicited) parent’s weekend.  My out-of-town friend’s however needed a presentable, parent-friendly establishment. My first thought when giving recommendations was to get out of downtown. On game weekends and parents weekends alike everybody is in the downtown area–parking is sparse, lines are long and the traffic is deadly. So why not take the opportunity to get away when we have access to a car and our parents’ wallet. 

Helloooo Naked Egg.  The Naked Egg is a breakfast and lunch spot on the outskirts of State College, about ten minutes from campus. This is one of my go-to suggestions because it reminds me of State College’s identity beyond being a college campus. At our core, we are a small, agricultural town, Naked Egg’s location and people remind me of that.

 I’m a sucker for cute latte art, what can I say?

Recommendations from my friends and family:

• My consistent order is the veggie omelette with a biscuit on the side
• Sophia swears by the Breakfast Burrito or the California Omelette
• June and her sweet tooth love the Banana Bread French Toast

Living in State College my entire life, I never felt a sparsity of sports bars.  Yet, there was one little hole in my heart, a French bakery.  Or really any kind of bakery… I’m not picky.  You may have noticed by now that State College has an endless array of bagel options. BUT as soon as you want a good slice of cake or a scone, you’re lost. This is where Crust and Crumb came to play in 2020. 

Owner Amber Winkler has a Classical French Cuisine degree and a Pastry Certification from the American Academy of Culinary Arts.  In addition to some fun espresso concoctions, they are committed to “…making small batch, scratch-made pastries and goods.”

I will shamelessly take the opportunity to plug local businesses whenever and wherever I can. However there is one that is my local-business-mountain to die on: Webster’s Books and Cafe.  If you haven’t stumbled upon this (literally) underground place, you are missing out.  Webster’s is a place with a cause: inclusivity and environmental sustainability.  When you walk into Webster’s, it will be a breath of fresh air that smells oddly like old books and vegetables. Funnily enough, they have a lot of old books and serve a lot of vegetables. Their menu is recently completely vegetarian and has many vegan options as well. Not to mention, their produce is locally sourced. In addition to food that warms my soul, Webster’s sells books, vinyl, and even has a second-hand clothing section.  Not to mention the occasional yoga session, poetry slam, and/or live music that happens every once in a while

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