The Canning House, located in Forty Forty, PA (about a 10 minute drive from campus) is a great choice for anyone looking to enjoy a fresh meal with unique flavors.

This restaurant is located inside the 900 Rutter Ave building in Forty Fort, a unique building that offers multiple shops and an artistic, quirky atmosphere. When you enter, you’re greeted with colorful decor, pop music, and most importantly, the smell of great food. I went out for lunch with a group of friends, despite the restaurant being extremely busy, the staff was friendly and smiling, even when telling us we’d have about a 15-20 minute wait to be seated.

Given the location of the restaurant, if given a wait time, in the 900 building there are plenty of fun shops to explore and many art pieces scattered around the building to observe, and even a piano you can play to not only entertain yourself, but anyone who may be waiting with you. You don’t have to worry about losing track of time exploring, if you give the host your phone number, they will give you a call when they’re ready to seat you.

One of the most important things to me when it comes to restaurants is seating, nothing breaks an experience to me more than uncomfortable seating that may be too crowded or too tight of a fit, but the tables and booths offered at the Canning House give plenty of room for you and your party.

You are given both a drink and food menu, the drink menu being almost more extensive than the food menu, offering drinks ranging from coffee, tea, refreshers, and even smoothies. I did not try any of these drinks and settled with water, but my party enjoyed a pumpkin spice latte, a strawberry banana smoothie, and a raspberry refresher that they were all greatly satisfied with. The food menu offers a variety of salads, sandwiches, appetizers, and a brunch menu on Sundays. This menu differs from a traditional restaurant menu, featuring unique flavors added in some of its items such as apricot jams and pickled onions, ensuring you’ll be having a special tasting experience. There are also gluten free options to accommodate allergies.

Now for the most important part, the meal. Given the cooling fall season, I ordered a grilled cheese sandwich with a side of their house made tomato bisque as well as a side of parmesan truffle fries. While it looks unassuming on first glance, the grilled cheese was packed with flavor featuring a medley of swiss, provolone, american, and cooper cheese grilled between two slices of sourdough bread. This sandwich paired extremely well with the tomato bisque, which says a lot coming from someone who never really cares for any tomato-based soups. The parmesan truffle fries offered a rich flavor that contrasted well with the acidity of the grilled cheese and bisque combo. They were served with a mayonnaise-based sauce that I didn’t know the name of. The flavors confused me, I can only describe the taste as “decadent”, which is a compliment, not at all a complaint.

The meal came to only $15 not including tip (always tip your servers!), but would’ve been more if I purchased a drink like my friends did. Overall, I could not have been more satisfied with my experience at the Canning House. Between the price, the staff, and the taste of my meal, I have no complaints. I definitely recommend making the short drive to check out this unique place, but if you can’t, you can still enjoy the taste by ordering through DoorDash!