The Mill in Hershey — Restaurant in Derry Township

My husband and I dined here for dinner. This was our first time dining here and I chose it for our date night because it was our first time in a long time since we got to have dinner at a nicer restaurant around here. Now of course, this is no fine dining restaurant, but the prices are expensive enough to make one question if it should be. I read positive reviews about this place so I was curious to see for myself. Well, it seems that some things are overlooked by the customers and the managers for that matter. I’ll start with the good. The hostess and our server were pleasant and friendly. Our server Kate had a positive attitude and didn’t rush us. However, the one critique I have to point out is when my husband ordered a beer from the “bottle beer” list. Well, she brought out a can, and it was already opened. No glass was offered to pour the beer into. Now, having worked at restaurants, we both thought that was strange. Almost any restaurant I’ve been to would bring it with a glass or ask you. However, my husband is very easy going and doesn’t like to be an inconvenience to anybody, so he just drank it straight from the can. But it felt cheap. For dinner, I ordered the scallops and he ordered the crab cakes. Both dishes were delicious. However, I would prefer something warm to top off my dish rather than a cold salad, which made my butternut squash purée cold and then the sourness from the salad mixed in with the scallops and squash purée. It seemed like an odd pairing. The crab cakes were very tender and fluffy. Not a lot of filling which is a good sign. The “whipped potatoes” was merely a huge scoop of mashed potatoes, topped with some soggy, overcooked carrots. Nothing spectacular with those. I’d say the crab cakes saved the dish. Overall, the food was good. Now the bad. Ambiance is just as important as the menu and the rest of the elements of the restaurant (staff, service, etc.) the layout feels a bit crammed with a lot of 4 top tables. We sat at one in the corner by the wooden dividers. Regretfully, I sat on the side facing towards the bar. However, I noticed that the track lights were very bright and pointed towards our side of the table. I tried to ignore it, but when our dishes came out, there was a constant glare; light reflecting off the plates and silverware which was blinding me. Im hindsight, I wish I would’ve have moved my seat bc my food was already out in front of me and I just wanted to eat. Once we finished our meals, our servers offered the dessert menu. Since I finished my scallops pretty quickly, I had room for dessert. We got the pumpkin cheesecake and it was a little bit underwhelming. I love cheesecake and I love pumpkin pie. The pumpkin flavor was definitely there, but the crust was executed poorly. It was way too dense, moist, and sweet. My husband expected a more crunchy texture and I wished it was less sweet. The whipped cream was delightfully light and subtle. It was a better complement than the graham crust. When we finished, our server dropped off the check. We were both shocked by the $8 charge for a can of beer. I’m sorry, but $8 for a can feels like a total rip off. It’s not even a bottle and it wasn’t served with a glass to enjoy it. The cheesecake slice was $10. It was fine, but I would not pay that much for it. Overall, we had an okay dinner. Our experience was disappointing in the end because I wanted to get some nice pictures inside the restaurant and ask one of the staff members but the hostess was missing and the server was gone too. Also, I couldn’t find a good spot for a photo with good lighting. I really wish they would do something about those white track lights. It really clashes with everything else. The rest of the lights are warm amber bulbs. It ruins the ambiance which also affects pictures. I was trying to take good pictures of the food too but that white light is harsh and gives a glare and shadows. I’m not sure if we’ll come back. I think I’d save this place for a special occasion because of the...

The good : beautiful space, lots of exposed wood and brick.

However.. we had a pretty poor experience actually eating here. We started out at the bar. Ordered two drinks while we waited for our table. The bartender made my wife's drink quickly, then wandered off. Came back, made my "spicy pickle"... told me "I'll have to find you the pickle, it really makes the drink"... and wandered off again. In the 20 minutes we sat there we watched him leave the bar area four times, refuse to handle someone's check because "you gotta talk to your server" even though that person was at a bar high top, apologize profusely to everyone that he wasn't keeping up... and never even looked for the pickle to finish/garnish my drink. Ok.

Seated at our table. Got drinks quickly, then the server was gone for 10 minutes before we could flag him down to order. We had looked online at the menu and wanted the ribeye. Wasn't even on the paper menu. Server said "oh, we start the night with like ten of those, they go quick and we don't have anymore." He also informed us they didn't have any specials tonight.

Uh, ok. The brie was nice and the crostini were excellent. The caesar salad was underdressed and served in huge leaves instead of ripped up into pieces. We waited 30 minutes after that for a burger and their brisket.

The mac and cheese was phenomenal, easily the standout of the night. The heirloom carrots were also excellent. The brisket was flavorful and nicely cooked, but 50% of what was on the plate was fat. My wife's burger was simply sad. Thin, dry, and although ordered medium it was well past hockey puck. The fries it came with were mushy and room temperature.

Houlihans up the street gave us similar food, better quantities, and perfect service. Save half the cost and go...

I’d really like to say how incredible this was, I met the owner and chef years and years and years ago when they were out running around collecting artifacts from the area at Local Antique shops, But never made it over until some very dear friends of ours invited us today, We Loved it!!!! Absolutely loved it and as a Well known chef in the area myself, I can say I feel is one of the top burgers around, The Brunch menu was incredible and everything came out perfectly thanks to our stellar server Katie who should be very proud of Herself and the owners can be glad to have such a spectacular soul with Your Guests, She’s absolutely the best when it comes to Being dedicated and providing the service industry with Her best, That’s the kind of person anyone would be glad to have and happy to promote with every opportunity you can Give Her because she’s Spectacular, she made the best recommendations and even asked that we come back for another enjoyable meal and great service and even took the time to tell us about all the events and special evenings the restaurant hosts like Steak Night, Etc., I can tell you this is going way above and beyond for the customers that almost no one does, I’d make Her a Server Manager in a Heartbeat and promote the Heck out of Her, Because she’s really a star with a Heart of Gold I certainly hope a place that she clearly loves and benefits by being there with Her time and talent rewards Her for a commitment to a job well done, thank you Mill, and Katie, You’re fabulous and I hope everyone reading this gives you the chance and opportunity to try you deserve because you’re better than a lot of other places you’ll find...