The Marketplace at Steamtown — Local services in Scranton

I'm here to write about my opinion on the food because of how great the three places I've eaten at have been. This review will be edited as I go around and try all the other places. Just know that I'm giving the 5/5 rating over my current experience.

If you are a sushi fanatic, like myself, then the first place I recommend is Amori Sushi. They have such a polite crew with really sweet personalities. They are very passionate about their food and customers. Their sushi rolls are bursting with flavor, made fresh to order--literally right in front of you--and they have a wide range of types. From vegetable rolls to spicy tuna, a colorful house roll to fried rolls, you'll find something that just seems to really hit the spot. Honestly, my absolute favorite roll is the Halloween roll. It's sweet at first because of the crab meat, but then it has a bit of a spicy kick. They also have appetizers and desserts. The edamame is delicious, just ask how you're supposed to eat it if you don't already know. I strongly recommend the fried cheesecake, and the mochi ice cream has an interesting texture with a pretty mellow sweetness. It may be a little more expensive than other places you can get sushi from around here, but it is so worth it. My boyfriend and I have agreed that we will be eating here at least once a week. They have Pepsi, Sprite, water, and the Japanese soda that has the marble you push down to drink.

I may be spelling the name of this place wrong, but here we go. Ruona's Pizza is completely homemade pizza. As we all know, pizza has a lot of debates going on over whether or not pineapple belongs on pizza. I'm also primarily talking about Hawaiian or ham and pineapple pizza. Well, if your issue is the same as mine, I have the answer. My issue with pineapple on pizza is that it's usually too sweet. It overpowers the saltiness of the ham and just adds to the acidity of the sauce. I found out that that's because most pizza places use canned pineapple. Ruona's Pizza doesn't use canned pineapple. It's fresh. This seemingly small difference is what we've all been missing. Ever had a caeser chicken salad pizza? They make it. It's different, yet very flavorful in the good way. Not only do they serve unique pizzas, but they have traditional pizzas. I feel they're decently priced for their great quality. Anyway, their pizza is phenomenal and I love the personality of their staff. They offer fountain sodas.

Do you like Philly cheese steaks and huge onion rings? Then you should look for the area that says "PHILLY CHEESE STEAKS" in red painted letters. Their cheese steaks were juicy, gooey, and so satisfying. The onion rings were thick and crisp, just the way they should be. I can't stand soggy onion rings. Both items also taste well with ketchup. The staff is respectful. They offer...

The Marketplace at Steamtown (MAS) is a rather interesting “shopping” space. (More details below)

MAS has two parking garages and parking is free for about 3 hours. This place is more so becoming filled with offices and medical centers with less shopping. However, this model seems to be working as it is nice to have medical, dental, and legal services under one roof.

You will notice MAS has two shopping/lifestyle anchors not related to offices or medical institutions: Boscov’s, the only major retail store in the venue, and Crunch Fitness. Other chain vendors include Starbucks, Auntie Anne’s, and cell phone stores such as Verizon and T-Mobile. There is also a community college located on the second floor.

MAS features many local shops and food vendors scattered throughout. This includes Basilico’s Pizza, Revellos, and others. more vendors are located in the “market” on the second floor. Local shopping places include Nick D’s Video Game Vault (great place to find vintage games and consoles), a dollar store, a candy shop, and a collector store that sells classic diecast vehicles and other knickknacks.

MAS only has one “attraction” inside the venue: Electric City Aquarium. It is rather smaller, but still a cool place to check out. Outside, however, is a walkway that leads to the Steamtown National Historic Site and Scranton’s Trolley Museum. This separates the center from others since it connects to a National Park. In addition, the “Welcome to Scranton” sign featured from “The Office” opening credits is housed right outside of Crunch.

Pros: Many great local vendors, a good option for a bite to eat, free covered parking for up to 3 hours, a nice destination for a quick trip.

Cons: parking is no longer free after 3 hours, not as many shopping options as it did in previous years, only one major retail store, the space appears somewhat bland with all the office and medical facilities.

If you’re looking for more mall chain stores, the Viewmont Mall is a great option and is located only 10-15 minutes from here. Overall, MAS is not as much of a fun venue is it used to be, but it is gaining a second life, which is much better than seeing it become shuttered. Its a good option for a short trip (if you go to the Steamtown site and Trolley Museum outside it can make a...

The Marketplace at Steamtown is basically dead from a retail/shopping perspective. When you first arrive, parking is either in the parking garage below the mall or the parking decks on either side of the anchors. They now charge to park and it's not cheap, but there is some sort of validation system if you go into the mall that I do not totally understand, as it's unclear if you need to purchase something.

Upon entering, it's very clear the whole mall is in deep trouble tenant wise with a tremendous number of vacancies. The lower-level primarily houses a social security office, Electric City Aquarium which seems to attract a significant amount of foot traffic, and other space being re-purposed. Delta Medix occupies a former anchor's whole floor. Boscov's has entrances on both the lower and upper levels.

The upper-level is worse off in many ways as a large portion is being re-developed into medical offices for Geisinger. Scranton Pubic Market, which was supposed to be the Marketplace's new centerpiece, has failed and is almost totally empty. The crossover bridge to the Steamtown National Historic Site appears to be permanently closed. Luzerne County Community College occupies part of a former anchor. This floor also contains Crunch Fitness.

Steamtown used to be the good mall, a mall that you visited once a year if outside of the area. I visit once every few years to see how it's doing and it gets sadder and more disappointing each visit. Realistically, I can't tell you a good reason to come here unless you need one of the few services the mall offers. Viewmont actually offers shopping options, and shockingly, is easier to access with better parking. That's really saying something. I continue to wonder if The City of Scranton or The University of Scranton could have better utilized this space if they would have won the...