570 and Down ranks the ten greatest restaurants in Wilkes-Barre, PA…
Last Updated: 5 August 2025
10. Thai Thai Restaurant
When done right, Thai food teaches you to taste balance: sweet, sour, heat, salt. Thai Thai does it right. Curries are rich but clean, noodles are bright with lime and basil, and spice levels are respected. The whole fish dishes, especially the Pla Pa-Nang, are divine. You’re here for the pad see aew, the tom yum, and that perfect bowl of green curry—and you’ll get exactly that. The space is unassuming. The food speaks up instead.
Address: 41 South Main Street, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18701
Phone: 570-824-9599
Standout dish: Pla Pa-Nang
9. Casa Blanca
Wilkes-Barre doesn’t have many places like Casa Blanca. The food’s Caribbean with Puerto Rican, Cuban, and Dominican flavors in harmony—mofongo, tequila lime shrimp, chicken-filled plantains, grilled fish with mango. The drinks are strong, the dining room feels like a party without the noise, and everything comes with big flavor and big generosity. This is joyful food, made with soul, and it stands out because it’s not trying to fit in.
Address: 196 – 198 Hazel Street, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702
Phone: 570-822-2840
Standout dish: Grilled lobster
8. Diamond City Vault Bar & Grill
You might come for the beer list or the unique atmosphere, but you’ll stay for the kitchen. Diamond City Vault balances bar comfort—burgers, tacos, wings—with a higher-end flair: wood-fired steaks, thoughtful appetizers, and one of the city’s most dependable dining experiences. It never feels like it’s trying too hard. Instead, it does the basics well and throws in just enough surprise to keep regulars loyal.
Address: 24 West Market Street, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702
Phone: 570-266-8998
Standout dish: Short rib grilled cheese
7. The Burnt Norton
Equal parts café, bakery, and community hideaway, The Burnt Norton is what happens when someone decides to cook beautifully but casually. It’s fanatically focused on local ingredients and boasts one of the most creative menus that you’ll find anywhere. Their SMORES pizza is life-changing, and the roasted pumpkin pizza could win awards. And the whole place feels like a reading nook turned into a restaurant. You don’t just eat here—you hang out and slow down.
Address: 45 East Northampton Street, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18701
Phone: 570-285-1141
Standout dish: SMORES Pizza
6. The Down Pour
Equal parts dinner theater and date-night escape, The Down Pour knows how to dress for dinner. The ambiance is moody, the cocktails are built with purpose, and the food—French onion chicken, creamy pastas, short ribs—has more depth than you’d expect from a place with umbrellas on the ceiling (and igloo dining in the Winter). It could lean too hard into its own vibe, but it never forgets that you came here to eat—and it makes sure you leave full and smiling.
Address: 119 South Main Street, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18701
Phone: 570-763-4739
Standout dish: Truffle Mushroom Risotto
5. Isabella
If you’re looking for an Italian‑American dinner with charm and polish, Isabella delivers. The dining room feels smart, with soft lighting, crisp linens, and staff who strike the right balance between formal and familiar. The menu leans classic, but not safe: cavatelli with scallops, house-cured meats, and expertly seared steaks come plated like the kitchen means it. It’s the kind of place where conversation stretches a little longer, and you leave already planning your next visit.
Address: 1140 PA-315, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18711
Phone: 570-270-9292
Standout dish: Risotto di Mare
4. Cork Bar & Restaurant
Cork feels like it belongs in a bigger city, but knows it’s in Wilkes-Barre—and leans into that. Dishes are rooted in Italian and American staples but presented with flair: think bacon-wrapped scallops, Korean fried chicken, Long Island duck, and a standing ovation-worthy wine list. It’s also a cocktail bar, a date-night spot, and one of the most consistent establishments in the 570 area code. That it juggles all those roles without pretense is part of the charm.
Address: 463 Madison Street, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18705
Phone: 570-270-3818
Standout dish: Caribbean Braised Curry Lamb
3. Café Toscana
Café Toscana is the city’s most consistently refined Italian table. Here, the ambiance is sophisticated but always approachable, the pasta is made fresh each day, and garlic and lemon appear with confidence but never brashness. The dining room is formal enough for a meeting, but the menu is built for comfort. It doesn’t chase trends, because it knows what works: familiar Italian classics, executed well.
Address: 1 Public Square, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18701
Phone: 570-208-1252
Standout dish: Lasagna
2. Bank + Vine
There’s something magnetic about a restaurant that respects its history and updates it for modern palates. Bank + Vine does just that, turning a grand old bank into a farm-to-table kitchen with real restraint. The food is seasonal and unfussy—cast iron pork chops, pine nut butter shrimp, charcoal grilled carrots—and it always feels like the kitchen is cooking in tune with the region. It’s elegant, but not remote; elevated, but not alienating.
Address: 268 South Main Street, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18701
Phone: 570-901-4040
Standout dish: Char-grilled New York strip steak
1. The Stegmaier
You don’t walk into The Stegmaier looking for quick bites or bar food—you go because you want to feel like dinner matters. Housed in a Victorian mansion that looks like it should be serving state dinners, this place manages to make fine dining feel warm instead of stiff. The menu walks a tightrope between rich and refined—grilled octopus, lamb ragu, and arguably the best Chilean seabass that you’ve had in your entire life. It’s the kind of meal that slows you down, makes you talk softer, and appreciate one of the finest dining experiences NEPA has to offer.
Address: 156 South Franklin Street, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702
Phone: 570-235-6943
Standout dish: Chilean Seabass
About These Rankings…
If you’re wondering how this list came together, the answer is straightforward: I ate. A lot. I took notes, asked questions, paid attention to details—flavor, atmosphere, consistency, creativity. Then I scored each place across a set of categories and crunched the numbers.
No, I’m not revealing the full formula. It’s not sacred or secret—it’s just my system. It rewards restaurants that make you want to come back. That surprise you. That care.
This list isn’t meant to be perfect. It’s meant to be useful. It’s not built on hype or hearsay—it’s built on meals. Good ones, mostly.
For those who like numbers:
- The margin between #1 and #10? 14 points—closer than you might expect.
- Two pairs of restaurants were separated by just one point.
- The biggest jump between spots? Four points, between #2 and #3.
- And yes, four restaurants came within two points of cracking the Top 10.
So is this a definitive ranking of Wilkes-Barre’s restaurant scene? Not forever. Not exactly. But it’s close. It’s a current snapshot of who’s cooking the best food in town right now. As the scene changes, I’ll revisit and update. Because the only thing worse than a stale meal is a stale list.
What do you think?
What are your thoughts on this Top 10 Best Wilkes-Barre Restaurants list? I’m fully expecting a lot of disagreement with everything I wrote above. And that’s okay. Leave your own Top 10 rankings in the comments section below and show me how wrong I am.
