Delicious Ethnic Cuisine Restaurants in Harrisburg, PA

If you are live in Harrisburg, PA (or just happen to be visiting or driving through), you should check out some of the best ethnic restaurants in town. Whether you love ethnic cuisine or are just looking for something a little different, these unique, non-chain restaurants are comfortable, serve delicious meals, and have great service.

1.) Aangan Indian Cuisine:
3500 Walnut Street, 17109
7171-909-7777
http://www.aanganindiancuisine.net/

Aangan serves a wide variety of Indian dishes. While they have chicken, lamb, and seafood, they also have a large selection of vegetarian entrees as well, so it's a great place for groups with both meat-eaters and vegetarians to eat. Aangan is known for its great service and relaxing ambiance. During the week they offer a lunchtime buffet that gives customers an opportunity to try a wide array of their dishes, including desserts. But for those who don't like buffets, menu ordering is still available at lunchtime. At dinner time, the atmosphere is always calm and quiet, even on the weekends, and they have a full bar, so it's a great place to come for a nice, relaxing dinner and drinks. If you do check Aangan out, consider getting a mango lassi, a traditional Indian drink that consists of yogurt and mango--it's fantastic!

2.) Okini:
3402 Walnut Street, 17109
717-544-0885

Okini is a pan-Asian restaurant with a large and varied menu. (It's conveniently located near Aangan so once you've found one you can easily find the other.) Situated in what used to be a Pizza Hut, Okini still manages to have a nice, comfortable atmosphere. The most striking thing about Okini, however, is the menu. Many pages long, the menu features numerous diverse Asian dishes. They have soups, curries, and noodle dishes, they have an assortment of sushi, and hibachi dishes as well as other Japanese meals.The selection of appetizers is as wide and varied as entrees. With all these choices, it'd be pretty hard to not find something you would like at Okini. I think the hardest part is just choosing! Another great thing about Okini is that they serve edamame as a complimentary appetizer to every table. I especially highly recommend the curry at Okini. I have had the curried vegetables there multiple times now and I have to say that it is the best curry I've ever had (and I've had a lot of curry). Tons of various fresh veggies, great spices and flavor.

3.) Sphinx of PA
2810 Paxton Street, 17111
717-558-0702
http://www.sphinxofpa.com/

Sphinx of PA is relatively new to the area. They serve Egyptian food, and I believe they are the only restaurant in the Harrisburg area to do so. Owned by an Egyptian family, Sphinx of PA is a comfortable, informal restaurant with great food for great prices. The design scheme consists of warm yellow walls interspersed with Egyptian murals. It feels warm and homey, especially because they cook the food right behind the counter where you order, on a stove that seems like more like something you would find in a home than in an industrial kitchen. The fact that the restaurant is filled with the delicious smells of whatever they are cooking at the time, which is noticeable upon first walking in, adds to the homey, comfortable feeling. And the people who work there are friendly, helpful, and seem genuinely happy to be serving you. Their menu consists of various charcoal-cooked meats, salads, sauteed vegetables, falafel, and two pasta dishes. If you're especially hungry, you can get a platter that comes with a meat entree, a salad, and a side of veggies, or their special platter that comes with 4 different meat dishes, a salad and side. Sphinx of PA is vegetarian friendly, as well as kid friendly with menu items like spaghetti, french fries, and chicken nuggets. They also have fantastic desserts. I recommend the basbousa, a grain based dessert with a bit of coconut, slivered almonds, and a simple syrup served warm and soft. Mmmm!

4.) Arepa City Latin Eatery
316 N Second Street 17033
717-233-3332
http://arepacity.com/

Arepa City Latin Eatery serves Venezuelan and Latin American food. They're named after arepas, which are homemade corn buns that are very common in Latin American and Venezuelan dining. These are gluten-free, making Arepa City Latin Eatery a great place for those who are allergic to gluten to eat. They have a variety of arepas---some with just cheese, others like sandwiches with items like pork or chorizo between two arepas. They also have a variety of empanadas, which are pastries stuffed with savory foods like cheeses or meats. They have friend plantains and fried yucca, among other things, available for appetizers, and for dessert they have a variety of amazing flans. Arepa City Latin Eatery's motto is "unpretentiously delicious" and it's true. The restaurant itself is informal and the menu items are inexpensive. They're conveniently located downtown and are open until 2am on weekends (with a more limited selection of menu items). They're BYOB though, so don't forget the wine!